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UNITED STATES 
CATHOUC HISTORICAU SOCIETY, 

THE VOYAGES 
OF 
CHRISTOPHER 

COLUMBUS 

The Story of the Discovery of America, as 
told by the Discoverer, 



NEW YORK: 

Press of the Society, 

l»9i. 



f \\2 



By Tranpfer 

iUN 26 1917 



UNITED STATES CATHOLIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 



Officers for the year 1892. 



Most Rev. M. A. Corrigan, D.D., Honorary President. 
Frederick R. Coudert, Honorary Vice-President. 
Hon. Morgan J. O'Brien, Honorary Vice-President. 
Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., President. 
Charles W. Sloane, Vice-President. 
Marc F. Vallette, LL. D., Cor. Secretary. 
Joseph T, Keiley, Rec. Secretary. 
Joseph A. Kernan, Treasurer. 
Rev. James A. Dougherty, Librarian. 



PUBLICATION COMMITTEE. 

Charles George Herbermann, Ph.D., LLD. 

Marc F. Valle'jte, LL.D. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Two hemispheres vie with each other in commemor- 
ating the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of 
America and honoring the memory of its great discov- 
erer. Church and state do their utmost to enhance the 
impressiveness of the celebration. The beauties of the 
Catholic liturgy and the resources of secular pomp are 
exhausted to make the festivities worthy of the great event 
commemorated and of the hero honored. The solemn ser- 
vices of the Church, the illumination and decoration of 
towns and cities, the erection of statues, eloquence, music, 
and the dramatic art — all contribute to the splendors of 
this international holiday. To crown all, Europe Asia, 
Africa and Australia, have sent their choicest products in 
science and art to the Exposition organized by the great 
republic of the New World, in honor of the great Genoese 
discoverer. 

The United States Catholic Historical Society, as a 
Catholic, as well as an American and a historical association, 
could not allow this anniversary to pass by, without contri- 
buting its mite to the honor of Columbus and his great 
achievement. When death had carried off his father-in-law 
Agricola, the Roman historian Tacitus, bade Agricola's 
widow and daughter to bear in mind the deeds and wise say- 
ings of the deceased hero and to contemplate his intellectual 
and moral portrait, rather than his statue in marble or 
bronze; for marble and bronze are perishable but the great 
qualities of the soul are everlasting. To others, therefore, 
we leave the erection of statues and memorials in stone and 
metal. The monument we here erect to the memory of Co- 
lumbus — iiionainention acre perennius regalique situ pyvoiiiihtui 
altiiis — is the picture drawn by himself of his soul, — of his 
indomitable pluck, his bold, clear intellect, of his religious 
zeal, of his simplicity and his dignity, of his patience and his 



INTRODUCTION. 



Steadfastness. We present to our members translations of 
the chief writings of the great Admiral, in which they will 
find fresh and living the story of his deeds and his sufferings, 
of the feelings that stirred the undaunted heart which plan- 
ned and endured so much. These "journals and letters, 
written not like the modern autobiography for the perusal 
of the world, but intended to be for himself and his friends, 
to whom they were written, a precious record and a 
memorial, pour forth with candor and sincerity, the 
emotions that swayed him, whether amid difficulties or 
triumphs, amid the murmurs of his despairing sailors, 
the plaudits of an admiring court, or the clanking of 
undeserved chains. They were not written to be published; 
they are not the effusions of a literary man, who has one eye 
on his correspondent and both on the great public. They 
are genuine letters, more likely to emphasize the faults than 
the merits of the writer. Many of them are written in storm 
and stress, nearly all amid conditions, favorable or unfavora- 
ble, which call forth the strongest and truest emotions of 
man's heart. They, therefore, depict for us the true likeness 
of Columbus. The lights and shades may at times be some- 
what exaggerated, their effects remind us of Rembrandt's por- 
traits, but the more we study the man in his deeds and his 
sayings, the more clearly will his greatness be revealed to 
us in spite of occasional failings, which he shares with 
humanity. 

And this brings us to the second purpose of our publica- 
tion. The broad facts that constitute the history of the dis- 
covery of the New World, are not and have never been a 
matter of controversy. There may be variations in minor 
details, but they affect neither the nature of the achievement 
nor the character of the hero. Winsor and Fisk, for instance 
discredit the romantic story of Columbus' reception by Fray 
Juan Perez at the convent of La Rabida, an incident which 
as told in Irving's pages, so moves and stirs the reader. But 
blot out the incident and neither the originality of Columbus' 
conception, nor his resourcefulness, skill, and learning as a 
navigator, neither his unwavering firmness of purpose, nor his 



Ill INTRODUCTION. 

daring in challenging new and untried dangers, nor his un- 
daunted faith and trust in the midst of the most critical sur- 
roundings, would be lessened by one iota. The chief recognized 
sources of the great Admiral's achievements are the same 
to-day as seventy years ago, and their interpretation has 
not essentially changed. Harrisse, it is true, has thrown 
doubts on the authenticity of the Jlistorit of Ferdinand 
Columbus, but the authority of the work has not suffered. 
And yet on these same authorities and these same facts 
different historians build up wholly different estimates of 
the work of Columbus and of the man. On these same 
facts and authorities are based the ardent panegyric of 
Roselly de Lorgues, the generous admiration of Irving and 
Prescott, the warm appreciation of Fiske, the discriminat- 
ing praise of Von Humboldt, the cold criticism of M. 
Harrisse and the sneering invective of Mr. Winsor. Whence 
this amazing difference in judgment? Why does Mr. 
Winsor blame where others praise? Mr. Winsor thinks 
that it is due to his own superiority as a critical and a 
scientific historian. Is Mr Winsor right ? Where does the 
province of the critical and scientific historian lie? In the 
gathering and siftmg of historical evidence, in the full com- 
mand of historical authorities, in the quick eye that sees 
historical contradictions and impossibilities, in the faculty of 
sympathizing with the age and the feelings of the men he 
treats, in the power to see what under given environment 
is possible or impossible, is likely or unlikely. All this will 
aid the historian to form a just and correct idea of his 
hero's character, and yet he may have all this, and err com- 
pletely in his verdict. In every day life knowledge of 
human nature and knowledge of men is not the exclusive privi- 
lege of the man of many facts and varied lore. Often the plain 
man of common sense, the man who has studied men in 
the concrete, living among them with open eyes and a 
keen quick wit, knows his fellow men more truly and does 
them justice more fairly, than the scholar who has con- 
quered ten thousand volumes and swallowed the dust of 
libraries for a quarter of a century. What is there to hinder 



INTRODUCTION. IV 

the man of action, who has seen again and again how men act 
in real life, amidst difficulties, and struggles and crises and 
triumphs and failures, — what is to hinder such a man when 
put in possession of the facts and placed face to face with 
the innermost thoughts of any great historical character 
to judge him and judge him correctly ? Why may he not 
arrive at a fairer and a truer verdict, than the scholar who 
has mastered dates and details, but fails to see flesh and 
blood, because the man of flesh and blood does not fit in 
with the imaginary world which the scholar has created 
in his mind? All honor to the critical historian, when he 
collects, compares and sifts testimony, but if his judgment 
of the world's great men is to stand, he must prove him- 
self to be more than a scientist and a critic, he must be 
a judge not only of books and facts, but of men — of their 
hearts, of their sympathies, of their feelings, of their pas- 
sions, of their actions, of their judgments. We have, there- 
fore, gathered and placed before the members of the United 
States Catholic Historical Society the most important docu- 
ments that have come down to us from the pen of the dis- 
coverer of the New World. They will enable the attentive 
and thoughtful man of the world to form a fair and just 
opinion of Columbus the discoverer and Columbus the man. 
Judged by the evidence of his acts and his words, written in 
all simplicity, we feel convinced, the great Genoese will not 
be pronounced a self-seeker, a knave, a dreamer and a fan- 
ciful enthusiast. 

The documents included in this volume cover the main 
incidents of the life of Columbus from his first voyage of 
discovery to his death. The letter to Don Raphael Sanchez 
translated into Latin and printed at Rome in April, 1493, 
opens the series. Its recognized importance has led us to 
print the Latin original as well as the translation. The de- 
tails of the first voyage will be found in the abridged Journal 
of Columbus as preserved for us by the venerable Las Casas 
in his Hlstoria de las Indias. As no account of the second 
voyage exists written by Columbus himself, to complete the 
history of his explorations, we have inserted the story of 



V INTRODUCTION. 

Doctor Chanca, physician to the Admiral's fleet, and an eye- 
witness of what he relates. The third voyage is contained in 
a letter written by Columbus to Ferdinand and Isabella. 
We have also added the pathetic letter of the Admiral to 
Donna Juana dela Torres, in which he sets forth his suffer- 
ings at the hands of the brutal Bobadilla. The story of the 
fourth voyage is set forth in Columbus' letter to Ferdinand 
and Isabella. 

Our collection would not be complete without the Ad- 
miral's last will and testament. It is a proper epilogue to the 
story of his achievements. On account of their historical 
importance and their intimate connection with the life work 
of Columbus we have added the famous Bull of Demarcation 
published by Pope Alexander VI, on May 4th, 1 193. We in- 
sert those passages of the Bull of May 3d, which differ from it. 
The text of these documents as well as some Breves of Julius 
II, referring to Bartholomew and Diego Columbus, we are 
enabled to lay before our readers through the courtesy of His 
Grace Archbishop Corrigan, to whom we offer our cordial 
thanks. 

For the translation of the Diary of the First Voyage the 
Historical Society is indebted to Dr. Marc F. Vallette. It is only 
a new proof of his ardent devotion to the work of the Society. 
The translations of the letter to Don Rafael Sanchez, of Doctor 
Chanca's narrative of the Second Voyage, of the accounts of 
the Third and Fourth voyages are taken from Mr, R. H. 
Major's Letters of Christopher Coluuibas published by the 
Hakluyt society. The translation of the Admiral's Will is 
taken from the Writings of Columbus, edited by Paul 
Leicester Ford. And that of Pope Alexander's Bull is by 
Richard Eden. It is but fair to add that the archaic and pe- 
culiar style of the Diary is a severe tax on the skill and pa- 
tience of the translator. Sometimes, in fact, the difficulties 
are so great as to be almost insurmountable. Dr. Vallette has 
striven to give us a faithful rendering of the original and if 
at times his style has suffered, the reader, we pray, will ex- 
tend to him the needed indulgence with hearty good will. 

Charles G. Herhkrmann 



FIRST VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS. 
A letter addressed to the noble Lord Raphael Sanchez, 
Treasurer to their most invincible Majesties, Ferdinand 
and Isabella, King- and Queen of Spain, by Christopher 
Columbus, to whom our age is greatly indebted, treating- 
of the island of India recently discovered beyond the 
Ganges, to explore which he had been sent eight months 
before under the auspices and at the expense of their 
said Majesties. 

Knowing that it will afford you pleasure to learn that 
I have brought my undertaking to a successful termination, 
I have decided upon writing you this letter to acquaint you 
with all the events which have occurred in my voyage, and 
the discoveries which have resulted from it. Thirty days after 
Epistola Christofori Colum. 
Cui aetds nostra nndhtm debet, de Irtstdis Tndiaesvpro Goit- 
gem oitiper mventis, ad qtias perquirendas, octavo atdea rueuse, 
avspiciis et a ere invictissinwrvm Ferdinandi ac Elizabeth His- 
p>anlaruni Reguiii, mistms fnerat : ad mar/it ijiciiiu Domiidmi 
R(qyhiniem So/zicis, eorunidem Serenissimorum Regimi Thesaur- 
arirurn, missa : quani generosus ac literatus vir X,eanaer de Cosco 
ab /li.yaiio idiomate in latinum convert L ; tertio Kalendas Mail 
MCCCCXCIII, Pontificatiis Alex. VI, anno I. 

Quoniam susceptae provinciae rem perfectam me con- 
secutum fuisse gratum tibi fore scio, has constitui exarare, 
quae te uniuscujusque rei in hoc nostro itmere gestae inven- 
taeque admoneant. Tricesimo tertio die postquam Gadibus 
discessi, in mare indicum perveni, ubi plurimas insulas innu- 
meris habitatas hominibus reperi, quarum omnium pro 
felicissimo Rege nostro, praeconio celebrato, et vexillis exten- 
sis, contradicente nemine, possessionem accepi ; primaeque 
earum Divi Salratoris nomen imposui, cujus fretus auxilio 
tam ad hanc quam ad ceteras alias pervenimus ; eam vero 
Indi Guanahanyn vocant. Aliarum. etiam unamquamque 
novo nomine nuncupavi : quippe aliam insulam Sanctae 



my departure from Cadiz ' I reached the Indian sea where 
I discovered many islands thickly peopled, ol which I took 
possession without resistance in the name of our most illus- 
trious Monarch, by public proclamation and with imfurled 
banners. To the first of these islands, which is called by the 
Indians Guanahani, I gave the name of the blessed Saviour 
(San Salvador), relying upon whose protection I had reached 
this as well as the other islands ; to each of these I also gave 
a name, ordering that one should be called Santa Maria de la 
Concepcion, ^ another Fernandina, ' the third Isabella, * the 
fourth Juana, ^ and so with all the rest respectively. As soon 
as we arrived at that, which as I have said was named Juana, 

Maria; Conceptionis, aliam Fernandinam, aiiam Isabelam, 
aliam Joannam, et sic de relequis appellari jussi. Quam- 
primum in eam insulam (quam dudum Joannam vocari dixi) 
appulimus ; juxta ejus litus occidentem versus aliquantulum 
processi, tamque eam magnam mullo reperto fine inveni, ut 
non insulam sed continentem Cathai provinciam esse credi- 
derim ; nulla tamen videns oppida, municipiave in maritimis 
sita confinibus, praeter aliquos vicos et pra^dia rustica, cum 
quorum incolis loqui nequibam ; quare simul acnos videbant, 
surripiebant fugam. Progrediebar ultra existimans aliquam 

1 A strange mistake has crept into the Latin versions of this letter ; 
in ail the editions of which it is stated that Cadiz was the point from which 
Columbus sailed on his first voyage. In the journal of that voyage, pub- 
lished by Mr. Navarrete, as well as in the accounts given by the Don 
Fernando, Columbus, and all other historians, it is distinctly said that he 
sailed from Palos, on the third of August. The question is important, not 
simply as affeciing the correctness of the letter, but also the length of time 
in which the voyage was accomplished ; for as Columbus reached the 
island of St. Salvador, or Guanahani, on the morning of the twelfth of 
October, it is apparent, that more than twice the number of days here 
mentioned, transpired between his leaving Spain and arriving at the West 
Indies. The mistake evidently consists in the word " Gadibus " having 
been by some circumstance, at which we can only guess, carelessiy 
exchanged for Gomera, whence Columbus started, according to the journal, 
on the eighth of September, which leaves an interval exactly coinciding 
with the thirty-three days here mention^-d. 

2 North Caico. 3 Little Inagua. 4 Urcat Iiiagua. .") Cuba. 



I proceeded along its coast a short distance westward, and 
found it to be so large and apparently without termination 
that I could not suppose it to be an island, but the continental 
province of Catha3^ Seeing, however, no towns or populous 
places on the sea coast, but only a few detached houses and 
cottages, with whose inhabitants I was unable to communi- 
cate, because they fled as soon as they saw us, I went further 
on thinking that in my progress I should certainly find some 
city or village. At length, after proceeding a great way and 
finding that nothing new presented itself, and that the line 
of coast was leading us northwards (which I wished to avoid 
because it was winter, and it was my intention to move 
southwards ; and because moreover the winds were contrary ', 
I resolved not to attempt any further progress, but rather 
to turn back and retrace my course to a certain bay that I 
had observed, and from which I afterwards dispatched two 
of our men to ascertain whether there were a king or any 
cities in that province. These men reconnoitred the country 
for three days, and found a most numerous population, and 

me urbem villasve inventurum : denique videns quod longe 
c>diTiodum progressis nihil novi emergebat, et hujusmodi via 
nos ad septentrionem deferbat (quod ipse fugere exoptabam, 
terris etenim regnabat bruma), ad austrumque erat in voto 
contendere nee minus venti flagitantibus succedebant ; con- 
stitui alios non operire successus : et sic retrocedens, ad 
portum quemdam, quern signaveram, sum reversus ; unde 
duos homines ex nostros in terram misi, qui investigerent, esset 
ne Rex in ea provincia urbesve aliqua;. Hi per tres dies 
ambularunt, invenruntque innumeros populos et habitationes, 
parvas tamen et absque ullo regimine ; quapropter redierunt. 
Interea ego jam intellexerami a quibusdam Indis, quos ibidem 
susceperam, quod hujusmodi provincia insula quidem erat : 
et sic perrexi orientemve rsus, ejus semper stringens litoi^a, 
usque ad milliaria CCCXXII, ubi ipsius insulae suntextrema, 
Hinc aliam insulam ad orientem prospexi, distantem ab hac 
Joanna milliar, LIV, quam protinus Hispanam dixi, in eam- 
que concessi, et. direxi iter quasi per septentrionem, quemad- 



\ 



great numbers of houses, though small and built without 
any regard to order : with which information they returned 
to us. In the mean-time I had learned from some Indians 
whom I had seized, that that country was certainly an island: 
and therefore I sailed towards the east, coasting to the 
distance of three hundred and twenty-two miles, which 
brought us to the extremity of it; from this point I saw lying 
eastwards another island, fifty-four miles distant from Juana, 
to which I gave the name of Espaiiola®, I went thither, and 
steered my course eastward as I had done at Juana, even to 
the distance of five hundred and sixty-four miles along the 

modum in Joanna ad orientem, milliaria DLXIV. Quae 
dicta Joanna et ali?e ibidem insuL-e quam fertilissim;xi exsis- 
tunt. Hfcc multis atque tutissimis et latis, nee aliis quos 
unquam viderim comparandis portibus est circumdata : multi 
maxime et salubrcs banc interfiuunt fluvii : multi quoque et 
eminentissimi in ea sunt montes. Omnes ha: insula: sunt 
pulcherrimae, et variis distinctae figuris, pervia:, et maxima 
arborum varietate sidera lambentium plen^e, quas nunquam 
foliis privari credo ; quippe vidi eas ita virentes atque decoras, 
ceu mense Maio in Hispania solent esse ; quarnm alia; flor- 
entes, alioe fructuosa:, alice in alio statu, secumdum imiuscu- 
jusque qualitatem vigebant. Garriebat philomela, et alii 
passcres varii ac innumeri, mense Novembri, quo ipse per eas 
deambulabam. Sunt prceterea in dicta insula Joanna septem 
vel octo palmarum genera, quge proceritate et pulchritudine, 
quemadmodum cetera: omnes arbores, herboe fructusque, 
nostras facile exsuperant. Sunt et mirabiles pinus, agri, et 
prata vastissima, variae aves, varia mella, variaque metalla, 
ferra excepto. In ea autem, quam Hispanam supra diximus 
nuncupari, maximi sunt montes ac pulchri, vasta rura, nem- 
ora, campi feracissimi, seri pascique et condendis ledificiis 
aptissimi : portuum in hac insula commoditas et pr^estantia, 
liuminum copia, salubritate admixta hommum, quod, nisi 
quis viderit, credulitatem superat. Hujus arbores, pascua et 
fructus multum ab illis Joanna: difTerunt. Haec prasterea 
Hispaniola or San Domingo. 



north coast.'' This said island of J nana in exceedingly- 
fertile, as indeed are all the others ; it is surrounded with 
many bays, spacious, very secure, and surpassing- any that I 
have ever seen ; numerous large and healthful rivers intersect 
it, and it also contains many very lofty mountains. All these 
islands are very beautiful, and distinguished by a diversity 
of scenery ; they are filled with a great variety of trees of 
immense height, and which I believe to retain their foliage 
in all seasons ; for when I saw them they were as verdant 

Hispana diverso aromatis genere, auro metallisque abundat. 
Hujus quidem et omnium aliarum, quas ego vidi et quarum 
cognitionem habeo incolas utriusque sexus nudi semper ince- 
dunt, quemadmodum eduntur in lucem ; praeter aliquas 
feminas, quae folio frondeve aliqua aut bombycino velo pud- 
enda operiunt quod ipsae sibi ad id negotii parant. Carent 
hi omnes (ut supra dixi) quocumque genere ferri : carent et 
armis, utpote sibi ignotis, nee ad eas sunt apti, non propter 
corporis deformitatem (quum sint bene formati), sed quia 
sunt timidi ac pleni formidine ; gestant tamen pro armis 
arundines sole perustas, in quarum radicibus hastile quoddam 
ligneum siccum et in mucronem attenuatum figunt, neque his 
andent jugiter uti : nam ssepe evenit, quum misserim duos 
vel tres homines ex meis ad aliquas villas, ut cum eorum 
loquerentur incolis, exisse agmen glomeratum ex Indis, et 
ubi nostros appropinquare videbant, fugam celeriter arripuisse, 
despretis a patre liberis et e contra ; et hoc non (juod cui- 

7 Naverrete the learned aud industrious complies of these original 
letters, in his translation of this first letter from the Latin into the Spanish 
language, has mistakenly attributed to the proposition " per" the sense of 
the Spanish word " hacia " (towards), a meaning which can under no 
circumstances be given to the word, but in this case renders the passage 
nnintelligible. The editor has translated " per septentrionem " "along 
the north coast " of the Island, such a rendering of the preposition being 
perfectly grammatical, while it gives tn the whole sentence a meaning 
consistent with the course which Columbus in reality took. These are, 
moreover, two sentences in the immediate context of the original, where, 
when the sense of " towards" is intended to be expressed, it is unmistak- 
ably given by the words " versus " and " ad." 



and luxuriant as they usually are in Spain in the month of 
May, — some of them were blossoming-, some bearing fruit, 
and all flourishing in the greatest perfection, according to 
their respective stages of growth, and the nature and quality 
of each ; yet the islands are not so thickly wooded as to 
be impassable. 

The nightingale and various birds were singing in count- 
less numbers, and that in November, the month in which I 
arrived there. There are besides in the same island of Juana 
seven or eight kinds of palm trees, which, like all the other 
trees, herbs, and fruits, considerably surpass ours in height 
and beauty. The pines also are very handsome, and there 
are very extensive fields and meadows, a variety of birds, 
dififerent kinds of honey, and many sorts of metals, but no 
iron, [n that island also which I have before said we named 
Espaiiola, there are mountains of very great size and beauty, 
vast plains, groves, and very beautiful fields, admirably 
adapted for tillage, pasture, and habitation. The convenience 
and excellence of the harbours m this island and the abun- 

piam eorum damnum aliquod vel injuria illata fuerit, immo 
ad quoscumque appuli, et quibuscum verbum facere potui, 
quidquid habebam sum elargitus pannam aliaque permulla, 
nulla mihi facta versura ; sed sunt natura pavidi ac timidi. 
Ceterum ubi se cernunt tutos omni metu repulso, sunt admo- 
dum simplices ac bona; fidei, et in omnibus qua^ habent liber- 
alissimi : roganti quod possidet inficiatur nemo, quin ipsinos 
ad id poscendum invitant. Maximum erga omnes amorem 
prse se ferimt : dant quaeque magna pro parvis, minima 
licet re nihilove contenti. Ego attamen prohibui, ne tam 
minima et nullius pretii hisce darentur, ut simt lancis, 
paropsidum vitique fragmenta : item clavi, lingula.' ; quam- 
quam si hoc poterant adipisci, videbatur cis pulcherrima 
mundi possidere jocalia. Accidit enim quendam navitam 
tantum auri pondus habuisse pro una ligula, quanti sunt tres 
aurei solidi, et sic alios pro aliis minoris pretii, pra^sertim pro 
blanquis novis, et quibusdam nummis aureis, pro quibus 
habendis dabant quidquid petebat venditor, puta unciam cum 



dance of the rivers, so indispensable to the health of man, 
surpass anything that would be believed by one who had not 
seen it; The trees, herbage, and fruit of Espaiiola are very 
different from those of Juana, and moreover it abounds in 
various kinds of spices, gold, and other metals. Tne inhabi- 
tants of both sexes in this island, and in all the others which 
I have seen, or of which I have received mformation, go 
always naked as they were born, with the exception of some 
of the woman, who use the covering of a leaf, or small bough, 
or an apron of cotton which they prepare for that purpose. 
None of them, as I have already said, are possessed of any 
iron, neither have they weapons, being unacquainted with, 
and indeed incompetent to use them, not from any deformity 
of body (for they are well-formed), but because they are 
timid and full of fear. They carry, however, in lieu of arms, 
canes dried in the sun, on the ends of which they fix heads 
of dried wood sharpened to a point, and even these they dare 
not use habitually ; for it has often occurred when I have 
sent two or three of my men to any of the villages to speak 

dimidia et duas auri ; vel triginta et quidraginta bombycis 
pondo, quod ipsi jam noverant. Item arcuum, amphorae, 
hydriae, doliique fragmenta bombyci et auro tamquam bestiae 
comparabant ; quod quia iniquum sane erat, vetui, dedique 
eis multa pulchra et grata, quae mecum tuleram, nullo inter- 
veniente pr^mio, ut eos mihi facilius conciliarem, fierentque 
Christicolae, et ut sint proni in amorem erga Regem, Regin- 
am Principesque nostros, et universas gentes Hispaniaj, ac 
studeant perquirere et coacervare, eaque nobis tradere quibus 
ipsi afHuunt et nos magnopere indigemus. Nullum hi no- 
runt idololatriam, immo firmissime credunt omnem vim, 
omnem potentiam, omnia denique bona esse in coelo, meque 
inde cum his navibus et nautis descendisse ; atque hoc animo 
ibi fui susceptus postquam metum repulerant. Nee sunt 
segnes aut rudes, quin summi ac perspicacis ingenii ; et 
homines, qui transfretant mare illud, non sine admiratione 
uniuscujusque rei rationem reddunt ; sed nunquam viderunt 
gentes vestitas, neque naves hujusmodi. Ego statim ac ad 



8 

with the natives, that they have eunie out in a disorderly 
troop, and have fled in such haste at the approach of our 
men, that the fathers forsook their children and the children 
their fathers. This timidity did not arise from any loss or 
injury that they had received from us ; for, on the contrary, 
I gave to all I approached whatever articles I had about me, 
such as cloth and many other things, taking nothing of 
theirs in return : but they are naturally timid and fearful. 
As soon however as they see that ihey are safe, and have 
laid aside all fear, they are very simple and honest, and 
exceedingly liberal with all they have ; none of them refusing 
anything he may possess when he is asked for it, but on the 
contrary inviting us to ask thtm. Ihey exhibit great love 
towards all others in preference to themselves : they also 
give objects of great value for trifles, and content themselves 
with very little or nothing in return. I however forbade that 
these trifles and articles of no value isuch as pieces of dishes, 
plates, and glass, kegs, and leather straps,) should be given 
to them,- although if they could obtain them, they imagine 

mare illud perveni, e prima insula quosdam Indos violenter 
arripui, que ediscerent a nobis, et nos pariter docerent ea 
quorum ipsi in hisce partibus cognitionem habebant, et ex 
voto successit : nam brevi nos ipsos, et hi nos turn gestu ac 
sign is, turn verbis intellexerunt, magnoque nobis fuere emol- 
umento. Veniunt modo mecum, tamen qui semper putant 
me desiluisse e coelo, quamvis diu nobiscum versati fuerint, 
hodieque versentur, et hi erant primi, qui id quocumque 
appellebamus nunciabant, alii demceps aliis elata voce dicen- 
tes, Venite, vemte, et videbitis gentes i\ithereas. Quamobrem 
tarn femins quam viri tam impuberes quam adulti, tam 
juvenes quam senes, deposita formidine paulo ante concepta, 
nos certatim visebant magnaiterstipantecaterva, aliis cibum, 
aliis potum afTerentibus, maximo cum amore ac benevolentia 
incredibili. Habet unaquaeque insula multas scaphas solidi 
ligni, etsi angustas, longitudine tamen ac forma nostris 
biremibus similes, cursu autem velociores : reguntur remis 
tantum modo. Harum qucedam sunt magna% quaedam par- 



themselves to be possessed of the most beautiful trinkets in 
the world. It even happened that a sailor received for a 
leather strap as mnch gold as was worth three golden nobles, 
and for things of more trifling value offered by our men, 
especially newly ccin.ed blancas, or any gold coins the Indians 
would give v^-hatever the seller required ; as, for instance, 
an ounce and a half or two ounces of gold, or thirty or 
forty pounds of cotton, with which commodity they were 
already acquainted. Thus they bartered, like idiots, cotton 
and gold for fragments of bows, glasses, bottles and jars ; 
v\ hich I forbad as being unjust, and myself gave them many 
beautiful and acceptable articles which I had brought with 
me taking nothing from them in return ; I did this in order 
that I might the more easily conciliate them, that they might 
be led to become Christians, and be inclined to entertain a 
regard for the King and Queen, our Princes and all Spaniards, 
and that I might induce them to take an interest in seeking 
out, and collecting, and delivering to us such things as they 
possessed in abundance, but which we greatly needed. They 

vsd, qusedam in medio consistunt : plures tamen biremi qna 
remigent duodeviginti transtris majores, cum quibus in 
omnes illas insuias quas innumerse sunt trajicitur, cumque his 
suam mercaturam exercent, et inter eos commercia fiunt, 
Aliquas ego harum biremium seu scapharum vidi, quje vehe- 
bant septuaginta et octoginta remiges. In omnibus his 
insulis nulla est diversitas inter gentis efQgies, nulla in 
moribus atque loquela, quin omnes se intelligunt adinvicem, 
quae res perutilis est ad id quod Serenissimum Regem nos- 
trum exoptare praecipue reor, scilicet eorum ad sanctam 
Christi fidem conversionem, cui quidem, quantum intelligere 
potui, facillimi sunt et proni. Dixi quemadmodum sum 
progressus antea insulam Joannam per rectum tramitem 
occassus in orientem milliar, CCCXXIl. Secundum quam 
viam et intervallum itineris possum dicere hanc Joannam 
esse majorem Anglia et Scotia simul : namque ultra dicta 
CCCXXIl milliaria in ea parte quae ad occidentem prospectat 
duae, quas non petii, supersunt provincial, quarum alteram 



10 

practice nb kind of idolatry, but have a firm belief that all 
strength and power, and indeed all good things are in heaven, 
and that I had descended from thence with these ships and 
sailors, and under this impression was I received after they 
had thrown aside their fears. Nor are they slow or stupid, 
but of very clear understanding ; and those men who have 
crossed to the neighbouring islands give an admirable descrip- 
tion of everything they observed ; but they never saw any 
people clothed, nor any ships like ours. On my arrival at 
that sea, I had taken some Indians by force from the first 
island that I came to, in order that they might learn our 
language, and communicate to us what they knew respecting 
the country ; which plan succeeded excellently, and was a 
great advantage to us, for in a short time, either by gestures 
and signs, or by word, we were enabled to understand each 
other. These men are still traveling with me, and although 
they have been with us now a" long time, they continue to 
the idea that I have decended from heaven : and on our 
arrival at any new place they published this, crying out 

Indi Anam vocant, cujus accol?e caudate nascuntur. Ten- 
duntur in longitudinem ad milliaria CLIII, ut ab his quos 
veho mecum Indis percepi, qui omnes has callent insulas. 
HispaniE vero ambitus major est tota Hispania a Cologna 
usque ad Fontem Rabidum ; hincque facile arguitur, quod 
quartum ejus latus, quod ipse per rectam lineam occidentis 
in orientem trajeci, milliaria continet DXL. Haec insula est 
affectanda, et affectata, non spernenda, in qua, etsi aliarum 
omnium ut dixi pro invictissimo Rege nostro solemniter 
possessionem accepi, earumque imperium dicto Regi penitus 
committitur, in opportuniori tamen loco, atque omni lucro et 
commercio condecenti. cujusdam magnae villae cui Nativitatis 
Domini nomen dedimus, possessionem peculiariter accepi : 
ibique arcem quamdam erigere extemplo jussi, quae modo 
jam debet esse peracta, in qua hoinines, qui necessarii sunt 
visi, cum omni armorum genere, et ultra annum victu oppor- 
tuno reliqui ; item quamdam caravelam, et pro aliis constru- 
endis tam in hac arte quam in ceteris peritos, ac ejusdem 



11 

immediately with a loud voice to the other Indians, " come, 
come and look upon beings of a celestial race": upon which 
both women and men, children and adults, 3'oung men and 
old, when they got rid of the fear they at first entertained, 
would come out in throngs, crowding the roads to see us, 
some bringing food, others drink, with astonishing affection 
and kindness. Each of these islands has a great number of 
canoes, built of solid wood, narrow and not unlike our double- 
banked boats in length and shape, but swifter in their motion: 
they steer them only by the oar. These canoes are of various 
sizes, but the greater number are constructed with eighteen 
banks of oars, and with these they cross to the other islands, 
which are of countless number, to carry on traffic with the 
people. I saw some of these canoes that held as many as 
seventy-eight rowers. In all these islands there is no difference 
of physiognomy, of manners, or of language, but they all 
clearly understand each other, a circumstance very propitious 
of the realization of what I conceive to be the principal wish 
of our most serene King, namely the conversion of these 

insulae Regis erga nos benevolentiam et faniiliaritatem 
incredibilem. Sunt enim gentes illae amabiles admodum et 
benigna^, eo quod rex prsdictus me fratrem suum dici glor- 
iabatur. Et si animum revocarent et iis qui in acre manse- 
runt nocere velint, nequeunt, quia armis carent, nudi ince- 
dunt, et nimium timidi : ideo dictam arcem tenentes dum- 
taxat possunt totam eam insulam nullo sibi imminente 
discnmine, dummodo leges quas dedimus ac regimen non 
excedant, facile detinere. In omnibus his insulis, ut intellexi, 
quisque uni tantum conjugi acquiescit, prseter Principes aut 
Reges quibus viginti habere licet. Femin^e magis quam viri 
laborare videntur, nee bene potui intelligere an habeant bona 
propria ; vidi enim, quod unus habebat aliis impartiri, 
praesertim dapes, obsonia et hujusmodi. Nullum apud eos 
monstrum reperi, ut plerique existimabant, sed homines 
magnse reverentiae atque benignos. Nee sunt nigri velut 
aethiopes : habent crines pianos ac demissos ; non degunt ubi 
radiorum Solaris emicat calor : permagna namque hie est 



12 

people to the holy faith of Christ, to which indeed, as far as I 
can judge, they are very favorable and well disposed. I said 
before, that I w^ent three hundred and twenty-two miles in a 
direct line from west to east, along the coast of the island of 
Juana ; " judging by which voyage, and the length of the 
passage, I can assert that it is larger than England and 
vScotland united ; for independent of the said three hundred 
and twenty-two miles, there are in the western part of the 
island two provinces which I did not visit ; one of these is 
called by the Indians Anam, and the inhabitants are born with 

solis vehementia, propterea quod ab aequinoctiali linea 
distat (ut videtur) gradus sex et viginti. Ex niontium 
cacuminibus maximum quoque viget frigus, sed id quidem 
moderant Indi tum loci consuetudine, tum rerum calidissim- 
arum quibus frequenter luxuriose vescuntur praesidio, Itaque 
monstra aliqua non vidi, neque eotum alicubi habui cogni- 
tionem, excepta quadam insula Charis nuncupata, quae 
secunda ex Hispana in Indiam transfretantibus existit, quam 
gens qucxdam, a finiiimis habita ferocior, incolit : hi carne 
humana vescuntur. Habent praedicti biremium genera 
plurima, quibus in omnes indicas insulas trajiciunt, deprte- 
dant, surripiuntque qua^cumque possunt. Nihil ab aliis 
differunt, nisi quod gerunt more feminco longos crines, 
utuntur arcubus et spiculis arundineis, ut diximus, in gros- 



8 Here a somewhat similar mistake to that which occurred in page 
four has been made by Navarrete, in his translation from the Latin ; the 
accusative " insulam Joanam " comes after the neuter verb " progressus 
sum" without the intervention of a preposition ; but it is evident from the 
sense that the missing word was intended to express that Columbus pro- 
ceeded along the island ; whereas Navarrete has translated it thus : 

" He dicho que anduve en recta direccion de poniente a oriente tres- 
cientas veinte }' dos milias para llegar a la isla Juanna." Artglic.e. I have 
said that I proceeded three hundred and twenty-two miles in a straight line 
from west to east to arrive at the island of Juana," a mode of proceeding 
which was in the first place geographically impossible, and in the next place 
would destro}- the basis upon which Columbus founds his estimate of the 
size of the island, when compared with England and Scotland. There is no 
doubt that " per" is the preposition understood, while Mr. Navarrete has 
incautiously adopted " versus " instead of it 



13 

tails. These provinces extend to a hundred and fifty-three 
miles in length, as I have learnt from the Indians whom I 
have brought with me, and who are well acquainted with the 
country. But the extent of Espanola is greater than all 
Spain from Catalonia to Fontarabia, which is easily proved, 
because one of its four sides which I myself coasted in a 
direct line, from west to east, measures five hundred and fifty 
miles. This island is to be regarded with especial interest, 
and not to be slighted ; for although as I have said I took 
possession of all these islands in the name of our invincible 
King, and the government of them is unreservedly commit- 
ted to his said Majesty, yet there was one large town in 
Espanola of which especially I took possession, situated in a 
remarkably favorable spot, and in every way convenient for 
the purpose of gain and commerce. To this town I gave the 
name of Navidad del Senor, and ordered a fortress to be 
built there, which must by this time be completed, in which 

siori parte attenuatis hastilibus : ideoque habentur feroces : 
quare ceteri Indi inexhausto metu plectuntur : sed hos ego 
nihil facio plus quam alios. Hi sunt qui c<tunt cum quibus- 
dam feminis, qute solse insulam Mathenim primam ex His- 
pana in Indiam trajicientibus inhabitant. Hae autem feinince 
nullum sui sexus opus exercent : utuntur enim arcubus et 
spiculis, sicuti de earum conjugibus dixi, mimiunt sese 
laminis aeneis, quarum maxima apud eas copia exsistit. 
Aliam mihi insulam affirmant supradicta Hispana majorem ; 
ejus incolge carent pilis auroque inter alias potissiinum 
exuberat. Hujus insulse et aliarum, quas vidi, homines 
mecum porto, qui horum quae dixi testimonium perhibent. 
Denique ut nostri discesus et ceteris reversionis compendium 
ac emolumentum brevibus astringam, hoc polliceor, me 
nostris Regibus invictissimis, parvo eorum, fultum anxilio, 
tantum auri daturum, quantum eis fuerit opus, tantum vero 
aromatum, bombycis, masticis, quae apud Chium dum- 
taxat invenitur, tamque ligni aloes, tantum servorum 
hydrophilatorum, quantum eorum majestas voluerit exigere : 
item reubarbarum et aliorum aromatum genera, quae ii 



14 

I left as many men as I thought necessary,'' with all sorts of 
arms, and enough provisions for more than a year. I also 
left them one caravel, and skillful workmen, both in ship- 
builning and other arts, and engaged the favor and friendship 
of the King of the island in their behalf, to a degree that 
would not be believed, for these people are so amiable and 
friendly that even the King took a pride in calling me his 
brother. But supposing their feelings should become changed, 
and they should wish to injure those who have remained in 
the fortress, they could not do so, for they have no arms, they 
go naked, and are moreover too cowardly ; so that those who 
hold the said fortress, can easily keep the whole island in 
check without any pressing danger to themselves, provided 

quos in dicta arce reliqui, jam invenisse atque inventuros 
existimo : quando quidem ego nullibi magis sum moratus 
(nisi quantum me coegerunt venti) praeterquam in villa 
Nativitatis, dum arcem condere, et tuta omnia esse providi. 
Quje etsi maxima et inaudita sunt multo tamen majora forent, 
si naves mihi, ut ratio exigit, subvenissent. Verum multum 
ac mirabile hoc nee nostris meritis correspondens, sed sanctje 
chiistianee fidei, nostrorumque regum pietati ac religioni, 
quia, quod humanus consequi non poterat intellectus, id 
humanis concessit divinus. Solet enim Deus servos, quinque 
sua pr^cepta diligunt, etiam in impossibilibus exaudire, ut 
nobis in praesentia contigit, qui consecuti sumus, quae hac- 

9 There appears to be a doubt as to the exact number of men left by 
Columbus at Espanola, difierent accounts variously giving it as thirty-sevcn_ 
thirty-eight, thirty-nine, and fort)-. There is, however, a list of their names 
included in one of the diplomatic documents, printed in Navarrete's work, 
which makes the number amount to forty, indepenJent of the governor 
Diago de Arana, and his two lieutenants Pedro Gutierrez and Rodrigo de 
Escobedo. All these men were Spaniards, with the exception of two ; one 
an Irishman named William Ires, a native of Galway, and one an English- 
man, whose name was given as Tallarte de Lajes. but whose native desig- 
nation is difficult to guess at, The document in question, was a proclama- 
tion to the effect that the heirs of those men should, on presenting at the 
office of public business at Seville, sufficient proof of their being the next 
of kin, receive payment in conformity with the royal order to that purpose, 
issued at Burgos, on the twentieth of December, 1507. 



15 

they do not transgress the directions and regulations which 
I have given them. As far as I have learned, every man 
throughout these islands is united to but one wife, with the 
exception of the kings and princes, who are allowed to have 
twenty : the women seem to work more than the men. I 
could not clearly understand whether the people possess any 
private property, for I observed that one man had the charge 
of distributing various things to the rest, but especially meat 
and provisions and the like. I did not find, as some of us 
had expected, any cannibals amongst them, but on the con- 
trary men of great deference and kindness. Neither are they 
black, but like the Ethiopians : for they do not dwell where 
the rays of the sun strike most vividly, and the sun has 
intense power there, the distance from the equinoctial line 
being, it appears, but six-and-twenty degrees. On the tops 
of the mountains the cold is very great, but the effect of this 
upon the Indians is lessened by their being accustomed to 
the climate, and by their frequently indulging in the use of 
very hot meats and drinks. Thus, as I have already said, I 

tenus mortalium vires minime attigerant ; nam si harum 
insularum quidpiam aliqui scripserunt autlocuti sunt, omnes 
per ambages et conjecturas, nemo se eas vidisse asserit : 
unde prope videbatur fabula. Igitur Rex et Regina, Prin- 
cipes, ac eorum regna felicissima, cunctaeue aliqae Christia- 
norum provincise, Salvatori Domino nostro Jesu Christo 
agamus gratias, qui tanta nos victoria munereque donavit. 

Celebrentur processiones, peragantur, solmenia sacra, 
festaque fronde velenttir delubra. Exsultet Christus in 
terris, quemadmodum in coelis exsultat, quam tot populorum 
perditas antehac animas salvatum iri prsevidet. Laetemur 
et nos, tum propter exaltationem nostrse fidei, turn propter 
rerum temporalium incrementa, quorum non solum Hispania, 
sed universa Christianitas est futura particeps. Haec gesta 
sic breviter enarrata. Vale. Ulisbonge pridie dus Martii. 
Christoforus Colom, 

Ocecmcc classis prcefecttis. 



IC) 

saw no cannibals, nor did I hear of any, except in a certain 
island called Charis, ^ " which is the second from Espanola on 
the side towards India, where dwell a people who are consid- 
ered by the neighbouring islanders as most ferocious : and 
these feed upon human flesh. The same people have many 
kinds of canoes, in which they cross to all the surrounding 
islands and rob and plunder whatever they can ; they are 
not different from the other islanders, except that they wear 
their hair long, like women, and make use of the bows and 
javelins of cane, with sharpened spear-points fixed on the 
thickest end, which I have before described, and therefore 
they are looked upon as ferocious, and regarded by the other 
Indians with unbounded fear ; but I think no more of them 
than of the rest. These are the men who form unions with 
certain women, who dwell alone in the island Matenin, which 
lies next to Espafiola on the side towards India ; these latter 
employ themselves in no labour suitable to their own sex, for 
they use bows and javelins as I have already described their 
paramours as doing, and for defensive armour have plates of 
brass, of which metal they possess great abundance. They 
assure me that there is another island larger than Espailola, 
whose inhabitants have no hair, and which abounds in gold 
more than any of the rest. I bring with me individuals of 
this island and of the others that I have seen, who are proofs 
of the facts which I state. Finally, to compress into few 
words the entire summary of my voyage and speedy return, 
and of the advantages derivable there-from, I promise, that 
with a little assistance afforded me by our most invmcible 
sovereigns, I will procure them as much gold as they need, 
as great a quantity of spices, of cotton, and of mastic (which 
is only found in Chios), and as many men for the service of 
the navy as their Majesties may require. I promise also 
rhubarb and other sorts of drugs, which I am persuaded the 
men whom I have left in the aforesaid fortress have found 
already and will continue to find ; for I myself have tarried 
no where longer than I was compelled to do by the winds, 
except in the city of Navidad, while I provided for the build- 
10 One of the Virgin Islands — which, is uncertain. 



17 

ing of the fortress, and took the necessary precautions for 
the perfect security of the men I left there. Although all I 
have related may appear to be wonderful and unheard of, 
yet the results of my voyage would have been more aston- 
ishing if I had at my disposal such ships as I required. But 
these great and marvellous results are not to be attributed 
to any merit of mine, but to the holy Christian faith, and to 
the piety and religion of our Sovereigns; for that which the 
unaided intellect of man could not compass, the spirit of God 
has granted to human exertions, for God is wont to hear the 
prayers of his servants who love his precepts even to the 
performance of apparent impossibiUties. Thus it has hap- 
pened to me in the present instance, who have accomplished 
a task to which the powers of mortal men had never hitherto 
attained; for if they had been those who have anywhere 
written or spoken of these islands, they have done so with 
doubt and conjectures, and no one has ever asserted that he 
has seen them, on which account their writings have been 
looked upon as little else than fables. Therefore let the King 
and Queen, and our princes and their most happy kingdoms, 
and all the other provinces of Christendom, render thanks to 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has granted us so 
great a victory and such prosperity. Let processions be 
made, and sacred feasts be held, and the temples be adorned 
with festive boughs. Let Christ rejoice on earth, as he rejoices 
in heaven in the prospect of the salvation of the souls of so 
many nations hitherto lost. Let us all rejoice, as well on 
account of the exaltation of our faith, as on account of the 
increase of our temporal prosperity, of which not only Spain, 
but all Christendom will be partakers. Such are the events 
which I have briefly described. Farewell, Lisbon, the 14th 

of March. 

Christopher Columbus, 

Admiral of the Fleet of the Ocean. 



NARRATIVES, LETTERS 

AND OTHER DOCUMENTS 

CONCERNING THE FOUR VOYAGES, 

MADE BY 

THE ADMIRAL, DON CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, 

for the discovery 

OF THE WEST INDIES. 



Translated from Navarrete's "Coleccion de los Viajes y 
Descubrimientos," 

BY 

Marc F. Vallette, LL. D. 



11) 



THIS IS THE FIRST VOYAGE. 

The following is ajree translation of the Spanish text: this will account 
for the peculiar expressions that will occur from time to time. 

The tacks and course made by the Admiral D. Christopher 
Columbus when he discovered the Indies, siimmarily set 
down, ^ without the Prologue he made to the Kings, 
which is word for word and begins in this manner : 

In nomine D. N. Jesu Christi. 
Whereas, most Christian, most high, most excellent and 
most powerful Princes, King and Queen of the Spains, and 
of the islands of the sea, our Sovereigns, this present year 
1492, after Your Highnesses had put an end to war with the 
Moors who ruled in Europe, and had ended the war in the 
very great city of Granada, where, in this present year, on 
the second day of the month of January, I saw by force of 
arms, the royal standards of Your Highnesses raised upon 
the towers of the Alhambra, which is the fortress of said 
city, and I saw the Moorish King pass forth from the gates 
of the city, and kiss the Royal hands of Your Highnesses and 
of my lord the Prince, and immediately in that same month, 
through information given by me to Your Highnesses of the 
countries of India, and of a Prince called the Great Khan, 
which means in our language, King of Kings ; how that 
many times, he and his predecessors had sent to Rome to 
solicit doctors of our holy faith that he might be instructed 
in the same ; ^ and that the Holy Father had never furnished 

1 Fra Bartolome de las Casas, from whose original this letter is taken, 
had many documents written by Columbus himself, and from which he 
wrote his " Historia de las Indias " and also compiled the account of this 
voyage together with the Prologue as published above. 

2 Paalo Toscanelli also gave this information of the Great Khan to the 
Canon of Lisbon. Fernando Martinez, in a letter written from Florence on 
June :.i5th 1474, taking it from what Marco Polo relates in the Prologue 
and other places in the repoit of his vo)'age. Toscanelli sent a copy of 
this letter to Columbus, when the latter consulted him on his intention of 
sailing west to reach India. See Hist, de Hern. Colon, cap VII. 



20. 



them, and thus so many people were lost, believing in idolatry, 
and receiving among them doctrines of pCTclition ; therefore, 
Your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians, and princes, lovers 
of the holy Christian faith, and promoters thereof, and enemies 
of the Mahometan sect, and of all idolatries and heresie.-, 
determined to send me, Christopher Columbus, to the said 
parts of India, to see the said Princes, people and territories, 
and to learn their nature and disposition, and the means to 
be employed in converting them to our holy faith ; and 
commanded that I should not go by land to the East, by 
which route it has been customary to go in safety, but by a 
Westerly route, by which there is until now, no certain 
evidence that any one has gone. Thus, after having expelled 
all Jews from your Kingdoms and territories in the same 
month of January, Your Highnesses commanded me with a 
sufficient armament, to proceed to said parts of India, ■* 
and for this purpose bestowed upon me great largesses and 
ennobled me, so that thenceforward I should be called Don 
and be High Admiral of the seas, and perpetual Viceroy and 
Governor of all the islands and contments I should discover 
and gain; and which thencefor\A ard may be discovered or 
gained, and that they should descend to my eldest son and 
thus in regular succession from generation to generation for 
all time to come. I set out therefore, from the city of 
Granada on the 12th day of May of the same year, 1J{)2, on 
Saturday. I came to the city of Palos, a seaport, where I 
armed three vessels well calculated for such service, and 
sailed from said port, well supplied with provisions and many 
seamen on Friday the third of August, of the said year, half 
an hour before sunrise, and steered for Your Highnesses 
Canary Islands, which are in the said ocean, there to begin 
my course and continue sailing until I reached the Indies, and 
delivered Your Highnesses, embassy to these Pnnces and 



3 This is not clear. Although the Kings had made up their minds for 
a long time before to expel the jews, they did not publish their decree 
until March 80th, 1492, and if they began to treat with Columbus after 
their entrance into Granada, they did not conclude their arrangement with 
him April 17th. This will explain what is here stated. 



21 

thus comply with the orders I had received. For this reason 
I resolved t(-» write during' this voyage very punctually, day 
by day, setting down all I did and all I saw and all that 
happened, as will be seen further on. Moreover, my Sover- 
eign Princes, beside describing each night the occurrences of 
the day, and each day the navigation of the night, I propose 
to make a new sailmg chart, on which I shall mdicate all the 
seas and lands of the Ocean sea in their proper places, and 
under their bearings, and further to make a book and illustrate 
the whole in picture, by latitude from the equinoctial, and 
longitude from the west, and above all it is important that I 
forget sleep and attend closely to navigation to accomplish 
these things, which will be a great labor, 

Friday, August 3d. 
We set out on Friday August 3d J 492, from the bar of 
Saltes * at 8 o'clock and sailed under a strong breeze, 
until sunset, in a southerly direction, sixty miles, which are 
fifteen leagues ; ^ then southeast and south, quarter S. E., 
which was the course to the Canaries. 

Saturday, August 4th. 
Sailed S. E,, quarter S. 

Sunday, August 5th. 
Followed our course night and day for more than fifty leagues. 

Monday, August 6th. 
The rudder of the caravel Pinta, in which Martin Alonzo 
Pinzon was, became broken or unhung, which was surmised 
to have been done through the contrivance of the owners of 
the caravel, Gomez Rascon and Cristobal Quintero, because 
they regretted having gone on that voyage ; and says the 
Admiral, that before sailing they had manifested considerable 
dissatisfaction. The Admiral was greatly disturbed by this 
occurrence, as he could not render assistance without endan- 

4 Saltes. A small island formed by the arms of the Odiel, in front of 
the town of Huelva. 

5 Columbus reckoned in Italian miles which are shorter than Spanish 
miles. It requires four of these to make a league. 



22 

gering his own vessel, and he adds that he was reheved of 
much anxiety, inasmuch as Martin Alonzo Pinzon was an 
adroit and able seaman ; finally they sailed, between day and 
night a distance of twenty nine leagues. 

Tuesday, August 7th. 
The fastenings of the rudder of the Pinta again gave 
way ; it was repaired and they made for the island of Lan- 
zarote, one of the Canaries ; and betw-een day and night the 
fleet made twenty-five leagues. 

Wednesday, Augusi 8th. 
There was a diversity of opinion among the pilots of the 
three caravels as to where they were ; and the Admiral's 
superiority in taking observations prevailed, and he desired 
to reach 'the Great Canaries, there to leav^e the caravel Pinta 
which had her rudder disabled and was in a leaky condition, 
and replace her if possible ; they were unable to accomplish 
this at that time. 

Thursday, August 9th. 

The Admiral did not succeed until Sunday in making 
Gomera, and Martin Alonzo remained on the coast of the 
Great Canary, by command of the Admiral, because he was 
unable to proceed. Later on the Admiral pushed on to 
Canaria (or Tenerife) where the Pinta was repaired with 
much trouble and diligence on the part of the Admiral, 
Martin Alonzo and the others ; and finally they reached 
Gomera. They beheld great volumes of flames issuing from 
the peak of Tenerife, which is very lofty. The fore and aft 
sails of the Pinta were squared ; he returned to Gomera on 
Sunday September 2d, with the Pinta repaired. 

The Admiral says that many honorable Spaniards who 
were at Gomera with Dona Ines Peraza, mother of Guillen 
Peraza, who subsequently became first Count of Gomera and 
whose neighbors from the island of Ferro swore that every 
year they saw land to the West of the Canaries ; which is 
towards the setting sun ; and others from Gomera affirmed 
the same also with oaths. The Admiral here relates that he 



23 

remembers that while in Portugal, in the year 1484, there 
came one from the isle of Madera to the King to solicit from 
him a caravel that he might go to this land he saw ; which 
he declared he saw every year, and in the same position: he also 
says that he remembers that the same was said in the Azores 
Islands, and all these were in the same direction, after the man- 
ner of a signal, and of some size. " Having taken wood, water 
and provisions, and replacing the men he had left in Gomera 
when he went to the Canary Islands to repair the Pinta, he 
finally set sail from the island of Gomera, with his three 
caravels on Thursday the 6th of September. 

Thursday, September 6th. 

The Admiral sailed this morning from this part of Gomera 
and steered on his course, and learned from a caravel that 
came from the island of Ferro, that three caravels from 
Portugal were cruising in those waters to capture him. He 
attributed this to revenge on the part of the King because he 
had gone to Castile ; he was becalmed all that day and night, 
and in the morning he found himself between Gomera 
and Tenerife. 

Friday, September 7th. 

All Friday and Saturday until three o'clock in the after- 
noon the vessels were becalmed. 

Saturday, September 8th. 
At three o'clock on Saturday afternoon a N. E. wind 
sprang up and he took his way and course to the West ; he 
encountered much head sea which delayed his progress, and 
that day and night he sailed nine leagues. 

Sunday, September 9th. 
Made nineteen leagues this day, and he resolved to count 

6 B}' the death of Ferman Peraza in 1453 the seigniory of the Canaries 
devolved upon his daughter Dona Ines, who was married to Diego de 
Herrera, and her title was confirmed by the King Don Enrique IV, on 
September aSth, 1454. Even so far back as that, the Admiral tells us, the 
inhabitants of Gomera and Ferro saw a land to the west, which was 
claimed to be the imaginary island of San Borondon. These illusions were 
persisted in by the common people long after they had been exploded by 
the vain searches of the most experienced navigators. 



24 

less than he had gone so that his people might not be alarmed 
if the voyage proved long. During the night, made one 
hundred and twenty miles, at the rate of ten miles an hour, 
which is thirty leagues. The men steered badly, falling oflf 
a quarter to N. E., and even a half point : for which the 
Admiral reproved them many times. 

Monday, SepteiMber 10th. 
Made this day and night sixty leagues, at the rate of ten 
miles an hour, which is two leagues and a half ; but he did 
not count more than forty eight leagues, so that the crew 
might not be alarmed if the voyage proved long. 

Tuesday, September IJth. 
Kept to the course, which was West, and sailed twenty 
leagues and more ; and saw a large piece of the mast of a 
ship of one hundred and twenty tons burthen, but was not 
able to secure it. During the night made nearly twenty 
leagues, but counted only sixteen, for reasons already stated. 

Wednesday, September 12th. 
To-day followed regular course, making thirty three 
leagues, day and night, but counted less for said reason. 

Thursday, September 13th. 
Made this day with its night, following course due West, 
thirty-three leagues, but counted three or four less. Encoun- 
tered head seas. On this day, at about nightfall the needle 
varied to the N. W., and on the following morning still 
more so. * 

Friday, September 14th. 
Course W. Sailed day and night some twenty leagues, 
counted less. Here those on the caravel Nina said they saw 
a heron and a water-wagtail, and these birds are not supposed 
to venture more than twenty-five miles out to sea. 

Saturday, September 15th. 
Sailed this day and night twenty-seven and more leagues 
due West, and in the early part of the night saw a marvelous 

* This was the first time lie observed the magnetic variation. 



•25 

flame of fire fall from the sky, into the sea, some four or five 
leagues distant. 

Sunday, September KJth. 
Steered West and sailed this day and night thirty-nine 
leagues, but counted only thirty-six ; the day was somewhat 
cloudy, with showers. The Admiral observes that from this 
day forward they encountered temperate breezes ; that the 
mornings were delightful ; that nothing was wanting but the 
song of the nightingale. He remarked that the weather was 
like April in Andalusia. They now began to see large 
patches of herbs, some sO' green as to have apparently been 
recently washed from land, from which they judged that 
they must be near some island ; ' but not terra firma, 
because as the Admiral said : terra firma is further on. 

Monday, September 17th. 
Steered West and sailed day and night over fifty leagues; 
reported only forty-seven ; the current helped them on ; saw 
a great many of weeds, and very often ; these vireeds had been 
detached from rocks and came from the West. They were 
of opinion that land was near. '^ The pilots took observations 
and found that the needle now wested a full quarter ; they 
were terrified, and they could not account for it. The 
Admiral saw it and ordered the needle to be tested ; the 
needle was found to be correct ; the cause was due to the 
movement of the North Star itself and not to the needle. " 
At the dawn of this Monday they saw many more weeds 
which resembled those produced by rivers. On one of these 
patches was a live crab which the Admiral carefully preserved 

7 This suspicion was not without foundation, as they were approaching 
some breakers laid down in our charts as seen in 1802. 

8 At this point the}' were still forty leagues W. of the breakers. 

9 The ingenius Columbus who was the first to notice the variation, did 
all in his power to dispel the fears of his crew, and explained to them the 
cause of the phenomenon. This we are assured of bj' his historian Munoz, 
and it was true, as is seen in the observations he made on his third voyage, 
upon the variations of the needle. The surprise and anxiet)' of the pilots 
and sailors is a clear proof that up to that time no one had noticed this 
variation of the needle. 



2<; 

and said that these were certain signs of land, because they 
are not to be found beyond eighty leagues from shore ; they 
found the water of the sea less salt than when they left the 
Canaries ; the breezes were always balmy ; the crews were 
all in high spirits : each ship strove to get the advance eager 
to discover land first : many tunny fish were seen and one 
was killed by the crew of the Pinta. The Admiral here 
remarked that these signs were from the West ; where I 
trust that the Most High God in Whose hands are all 
victories, will soon give us land. On that morning he says 
he saw a white bird called the Wagtail, that does not sleep 
on the sea. 

Tuesday, September 18th. 
Sailed this day and might and made more than fifty- 
five leagues, but only forty-eight were reported. During all 
these days the sea was as calm as the river Seville. On this 
day, Martin Pinzon with the Pinta, which was a fast .sailer, 
did not delay, because he informed the Admiral from his 
own caravel that he had seen a great multitude of birds fly 
towards the setting sun, and that he expected to see land that 
night, * and for this reason he sailed so rapidly. There 
appeared in the North a cloudiness which is a sign of 
proximity to land. 



* Breakers were seen in the West, twenty leagues distant. 



Wednesday, September 19th. 

Followed our course, and between day and night made 
twenty-five leagues : because there was a calm ; reported 
twenty-two. On this day, at ten o'clock there flew on board 
this vessel a booby, and in the afternoon another ; these birds 
are not wont to fly more than twenty leagues from shore ; ' " 
there were also drizzling showers without wind ; which are a 
sure indication of land ; the Admiral did not wish to grope 
blindly from point to point of the compass in search of land : 
moreover, he was certain that to starboard or larboard (north 
or south) there must be some islands, as in fact there were, and 
he was sailing among them : because his will was to sail along 
to the Indies, and the weather was fine, and because, please 
God, these islands would be seen on their return; these are 
his words. Here the pilots discovered their bearings ; the 
one on the Nina found himself to be four hundred and forty 
leagues from the Canaries : the one on the Pinta, four hun- 
dred and twenty, and the one on the Admiral's vessel exactly 
four hundred.^ ' 

Thursday, September 20th. 

Steered to-day W quarter N. W., and half a point ; because 
the wind veered, with light breezes to S. W., the calm was so 
great that the vessels made only seven or eight leagues. 
Two boobies came on board : and later on, another, which 
was a sign of being near land, and there were many weeds 
too, which had not been seen for a day or two past. The 
men caught a bird with their hands, which seemed like a river 
bird and its feet were like the sea gull's. At dawn there 
came two or three little singing birds which disappeared in 
the evening, later on came a booby ; it came from the W. N. 
W., and flew to the S. W., which indicated that there was 
land to the W. N. W, because these birds sleep on land and 
in the morning go to sea to seek their sustenance ; but they 
do not go out more than twenty leagues. 

10 They were about ten leagues from the breakers. 

11 This is exactly the distance indicated by the Admiral. 



28 

Friday, Sei'Ikmkek 21st. 
To-day there was a prof(>und calm, and later on light 
winds : sailed day and night due course and hardly made 
thirteen leagues. At dawn so many weeds appeared that the 
sea seemed to be covered with them, and they came from the 
West : saw a booby ; the sea is as calm as a river, and the air 
the balmiest in the world ; saw a whale, which is a sign that 
they were in the vicinity of land, because these animals 
generally go near the land. ' - 

Saturday, Septemhek 22d. 
Sailed W. N. W., more or less, inclining to one side or the 
other ; made thirty leagues ; few* weeds to be seen ; saw some 
sand pipers and other birds : had head winds. Here the 
Admiral says : This head wind was very necessari/ to t/ie, for 
my crew had grotnn much alarmed, ' '* lest they should never 
meet in vhese seas with a fair wind to return to iSpaiti- : part of 
the day there were no weeds : later they became very thick. 

Sunday, September 23d. 

Sailed N. W., and at times a quarter N., at others in 
regular course, which w as W., and made twenty-two leagues; 
saw a turtle and a booby, and another river bird ; and other 
white birds ; the weeds were very plentiful, and there were 
crabs in them ; and as the sea was calm the crew murmured, 
saying that there were no high seas in that region and that 
there would never be wind enough to take them back to 
Spain ; but later on a high sea came on but no wind, which 
surprised them, at which the Admiral says here : thus the 
high sea became very necessary to nie, for it was like ufito the 
tniraculous aid Moses received ichen leading the inntinons Jeu's 
out of captivity. 

Monday, Sepi emher 24th. 

Kept on our course due W., this day and njght, made 
fourteen leagues and a half ; recorded twelve : a booby came 
on board ; saw many gray sand pipers. 

12 The Admiral's judgment was well founded, for he was sailing north 
of the said breakers, four leagues distant. 

l\i Here the crew began to murmcr at the long vojagc — Casas. 



21 > 

TuKSDAY, September 'ioth. 

Calm part of the day ; followed by winds ; kept on course 
due W., until night. The Admiral held a conversation with 
Martin Alonso Pinzon, captain of the caravel the Pinta, about 
a chart he had sent him about three days before to the cara- 
vel, on which it appears the Admiral had drawn certain 
islands in that sea, i* and Martin Alonso declared they were 
in that vicinity, and the Admiral replied that he was of the 
same opinion ; but, as they had not come upon them, it must 
be due to the currents which had driven the ships to the N 
E., and that they had not made the distance the pilots thought 
they had. At this point the Admiral desired the said chart 
sent to him, and on it being thrown to him at the end of a 
lanyard, the Admiral began to pore over it with his pilot and 
sailors : at sunset Martin Alonso, who had gone up on the 
quarter deck of his vessel, called out with great joy to the 
Admiral, to give him the reward for the good news, for he 
saw land, and when the Admiral heard him declare this he 
fell upon his knees and returned thanks to God, and Martin 
Alonso with his crew repeated Gloria in excelsis Deo, as did 
the crew of the Admiral, while the crew of the Nina all 
climbed up the masts, and rigging, and declared that they saw 
land ; and it so appeared to the Admiral, and that it was 
distant twenty-five leagues : all maintained, until night that 
they saw land ; and the Admiral ordered the course to be 
changed from W., to S W., where the land appeared to be : 
they had sailed that day four leagues and a half, and during 
the night seventeen leagues S W., which made twenty-one 
in all, but he showed the crew only thirteen leagues ; as he 
always pretended to the crew that they had gone a short 
distance so they would not think the journey long . so that 
he kept two logs of that voyage ; the shorter one was the 
feigned one ; and the longer the correct one. The sea con- 
tinued so calm that many of the crew jumped overboard and 
began to swim ; they saw many flying fish and other species. 

14 This chart drawn by the Admiral, could not help being like the one 
Toscanelli sent to Lisbon in 1474. 



80 



Wednesday, September '2(5. 
Kept on course due W,, until after mid-day. Thence 
sailed S. W., until they became convinced that what they 
had taken for land was nothing but clouds : sailed day and 
night, thirty-one leagues, and only twenty-four were reported 
to the crew. The sea was as calm as a river : the breeze 
soft and balmy. 

Thursday, September 27th, 
Kept on course due W., and made, da}^ and night twenty- 
four leagues ; twenty reported to the crew ; saw many flying 
fish, killed one ; saw a bunch of sea-weed. 

Friday, September 28th. 
Kept on course due W., made, day and night, with calms, 
fourteen leagues ; recorded thirteen ; saw few weeds ; caught 
two flying fish ; the other vessels caught more. 

Saturday, September 20th. 
Kept on course due W., and made twenty-four leagues ; 
(reported twentj^-one to the crew), because of calm day and 
night, made but little head way. Some fork-tails came on 
board. These birds compel the boobies to vomit what they 
have eaten so as to eat it themselves afterwards, and they 
live on nothing else. They are sea birds, but they do not 
rest on the sea, nor do they go beyond twenty leagues from 
the shore ; they are very numerous in the vicinity of the 
Cape Verde islands : later on saw two boobies ; the breezes 
were gentle and balmy, and there lacked only the song of the 
nightingale : the sea as calm as a river : three more boobies 
were seen at three different times : saw another fork-tail 
and many weeds. 

Sunday, September 30th. 
Course due W., sailed day and night only fourteen lea- 
gues, owing to calm, reported only eleven : saw four bunches 
of rushes, which is a strong evidence of land ; so many birds of 
a kind together indicate that they are neither strayed nor lost; 
saw four boobies at two different times, and many weeds. Note: 
The stars called the "Guardians," which at evening appeared 



31 

in a westerly direction, were seen in the N E., the next morn- 
ing, which shows that during the whole night, they had 
progressed only three lines, which are nine hours and this 
was the case every night, as says the Admiral. At night the 
needle varied a point to the N W., in the morning they were 
true ; by which it appears that the Pole star moves, like the 
others, and the needles are always right. 

Monday, October Jst. 
Kept on course due W., and sailed twenty-five leagues ; 
showed the crew only twenty ; had a heavy rain. The 
Admiral's pilot found at daybreak, they had gone five hundred 
and seventy-eight leagues west from Ferro Islands : the lesser 
reckoning which the Admiral showed the crew was five hun- 
dred and eighty-four leagues, but the true reckoning was 
seven hundred and seven. 

Tuesday, October 2d. 
Kept on due W., and, day and night, made thirty-nine 
leagues ; showed the crew only thirty leagues ; sea still calm 
and good, " Many thanks to God,'' here said the Admiral : 
weeds floated from E., to W., contrary to what was usual ; 
saw many fish ; saw a white bird which resembled a gull. 

Wednesday, October 3d. 
Sailed usual course and made forty-seven leagues; showed 
the crew forty : saw sand pipers, many weeds, some very old 
and some quite green with berries on them ; later on saw 
no birds. The Admiral thought he had passed the islands 
indicated on his chart. The Admiral here said that he did 
not alter his course last week, nor these days when there were 
so many signs of land, although he knew of certain islands in 
that vicinity, so as not to delay, as his aim was to reach the 
Indies, and it would not be wise to delay. 

Thursday, Octorer 4th. 
Kept course due W., and sailed, day and night, sixty- 
tjiree leagues ; showed the crew only forty-six ; four sand 
pipers and two boobies came on board together, and one of 



the crew of the caravel struck one of them ; a forktail came 
on board, also a white bird like a gull. 

Friday, Octobek 5th. 
Kept on our course making- eleven miles an hour ; made 
day and night, forty-seven leagues, because the wind fell after 
night : showed the crew forty-five ; the sea calm and peaceful. 
God be thanked. The air is very mild and temperate ; no 
weeds ; sand-pipers ; many flying fish came on board. 

S.^TURDAV, October 0th. 
Kept on to the W., and made forty leagues between day 
and night ; reported thirty-three to the crew. Martin Alonso 
proposed to stand one quarter to the W S W., and the 
Admiral thought that Martin Alonso urged this on account 
of the island of Cipango, and yet the Admiral saw that if 
they missed it they could not reach land so soon, and that it 
would be better to make for the mainland at once, and go 
to the islands afterwards. 

Sunday, Ociobkr "Tth. 
Sailed usual course W., and made twelve miles an hour 
for two hours, and subsequently eight miles an hour and 
made twenty-three leagues ; reported only eighteen to the 
crew. At sunrise, the caravel Niiia, being a good sailer, was 
in the lead ; every one was on the lookout to catch the first 
sight of land, so as to gain the reward the King had promised 
to him who should see it first ; the Niiia hoisted a flag to her 
mast-head, discharged a bomb, this being the preconcerted 
signal for the discovery of land. The Admiral also ordered 
that at sunrise and sunset the vessels should keep near to him 
as at these times the state of the atmosphere is most favora- 
ble to the discovery of distant land. As the day advanced, 
however, the crew of the Niiia realized that they had been 
mistaken in what they took to be land, and which they 
believed was then near because of the flight of birds going 
from N., to S W., and which the crew seemed to think were 
seeking some resting place, or that they were fleeing, perhaps 
from the rigors of winter. The Admiral knew the importance 



the Portuguese navigators attached to the flight of birds. 
He determined, therefore, to alter his course to the W S W., 
and keep that course for two days. This he did one hour 
before sunset. They made during the night some five leagues 
and twenty-three during the day, making in all twenty-eight 
leagues. 

Monday, Oci-qber 8th. 
Kept to W S W., and between day and night made 
eleven and a half or twelve leagues, and at times, during the 
night, made fourteen miles an hour, if the record does not lie; 
the sea was like the river at Seville ; " Thanks be to God." 
says the Admiral. The air is as mild as in April in Seville, 
and it is a pleasure to enjoy it, it is so fragrant. Weeds appear 
fresh and green. Many field birds were seen, one was caught 
as it was going to the S. W., such as herons, pelicans and ducks. 

Tuesday, October 9th. 
Sailed S. W., made five leagues, wind changed, blew W. 
by N., made four leagues ; made day and night, twenty-one 
and a half leagues ; told the crew seventeen leagues ; birds 
were seen passing throughout the whole night, 

Wednesday, October 10th. 
Kept on W. S. W., made ten miles an hour, and some- 
times twelve, and again seven, and between day and night 
fifty-nine leagues ; reported to the crew only forty-four. At 
this point the crew broke forth into complaints, they mur- 
mured at the long voyage, but the Admiral pacified them as 
best he could by promises of large rewards. He told them it 
was vain to murmur, that he had come to seek the Indies, 
and happen what might, he was determined to persever, until, 
by the blessing of God he had succeeded. 

Thursday, October 11th. 
Kept W. S W., more sea on than had been during the 
whole voyage : saw a sand-piper and some green rushes close 
to the ship. The crew of the Pinta picked up a reed, and a 
log ; then a staff that had been carved or cut with iron, and 
a small board, and some weeds that grew on dry land. The 



34 

crew of the Nina also noticed other signs of land ; a stick 
covered with dog-rose. Made this day, up to nightfall, 
twenty-seven leagues. 

After sundown kept due W., made twelve miles an hour, 
and by two hours after midnight had made ninety miles, 
which is twenty-two and a half leagues. The Pinta being a 
fast sailer kept ahead of the Admiral, and discovered 
land and made the signals the Admiral had ordered :n 
such a case. This land was seen first by a sailor called 
Rodrigo de Triana. 'J'he Admiral at ten o'clock at night 
being on top of the castle or cabin, on the high poop of his 
vessel, saw a light, but so dim that he feared he might be de- 
ceived ; he called Pedro Gutierrez, a gentleman of the King's 
bed chamber, and told him it looked like a light, and to look 
at it himself ; which he did, and saw it ; he also told Rodrigo 
Sanchez of Segovia, whom the King and Queen had sent with 
the fleet as a comptroller, but he failed to see it because of 
his position. The Admiral said he saw it once or twice after- 
wards, as if it were a little tallow candle that rose and sank, 
on the waves, and which impressed a few as being an indica- 
tion of land. But the Admiral felt sure that he was close to 
land. Where upon, when, as was the invariable custom, the 
sailors had sung the Salve Regina, the Admiral made an im- 
pressive address to the crew, and ordered them to keep a 
strict watch from the forecastle, and promised to the first man 
who should see land, a doublet of silk in addition to the lar- 
gesses promised by the Sovereigns, which was an annuity of 
ten thousand maravedis. Two hours after midnight land 
was seen, about two leagues off. Sail was taken in and the 
vessels lay to awaiting the dawn of Friday, when they found 
themselves near the Island of Lucayas, called in the Indian 
language Guana hani. Then were seen people entirely naked, 
and the Admiral entered his own boat, and Martin Alonso 
Pinzon and Vicente Anse (or Yanez), his brother, who was 
captain of the Niiia, entered theirs. The Admiral held aloft 
the standard, and the captains displayed two banners embla- 
zoned with a green cross, which the Admiral carried on all 
his vessels as banners of the enterprise. These had on either 



side the letters F and Y, (the initials of the monarchs, Fer- 
nando and Ysabel), surmounted by the crown, one at one 
extreme of the »{• and the other at the other. On nearing the 
shore they saw trees that were very green, and many streams 
of water, and fruits in great varieties. The Admiral called 
to the two captains and the crews to leap ashore, and to 
Rodrigo Descovedo, Notary of the Armada, and Rodrigo 
Sanchez of Segovia, and called upon them to take oath of 
obedience to him, and to bear witness that he, in the presence 
of all, as he now did, before all others, took solemn possession 
of the island in the 'name of the King and Queen, his Sover- 
eigns, complying with the required forms and ceremonies. 
Then there gathered around him a large number of the inhab- 
itants of the island. What now follows are the precise words 
of the Admiral in his book, on his first voyage of discoveries 
of these Indies, " I"" (he says), to gain their friendship, 
because I recognized that they were a people that form the 
gentleness of their disposition could be more easily converted 
to our Holy Faith by love than by fear ; I gave some of them 
red caps, glass beads which they put around their necks, and 
other trifles which seemed to them of inestimable value. 
They afterwards came out to the ships in which we were, 
some swimming, others in light barks, bringing parrots and 
cotton yarn in large and small balls, and many other things, 
which they exchanged with us for glass beads and hawk's 
bells. Indeed, they took everything and gave us what they 
had with the greatest good will. But they appeared to me to 
be a people poor in everything. They went about as naked 
as when they were born, as did also the women, of whom I 
saw but one, quite young and beautifully formed. All the 
natives I saw were gentle and none seemed to be over thirty 
years of age ; they were well shaped, moderate in stature; and 
had agreeable features ; their hair was almost as coarse as 
horse hair and short, partly cut short above the ears while 
some locks were left long behind, and falling upon their 
shoulders. Some paint themselves black ; they are of the 
color of the natives of the Canary Islands, neither black nor 
white. They paint themselves in every variety of colors; 



:3<i 

Some paint only a portion of the face and some the entire 
body. They have no weapons nor do they know their use, 
and when I showed them our swords they grasped them by 
the blades and cut themselves with the sharp edges, not 
knowing any better. They have no iron ; their lances are 
hardened at the end by fire, or pointed at the end with flint 
or the teeth or bone of a fish. I saw some of them who bore 
scars of wounds upon their bodies, and I asked them, by signs, 
what this meant. They made known to me that people came 
from neighboring islands and tried to carry them off, and 
that they defended themselves. I thought, and still believe, 
that these men came from the mainland. They must make 
good servants and be quite apt, as I see that they very soon 
say what they are told to say, and it seems to me that they 
can readily be made Christians ; I have not noticed any 
religion among them. Please the Lord, when I leave here I 
shall take six of these natives to your Highness, so that they 
may learn our language. There is no kind of wild beasts, 
only parrots, on this island." All this was said by the Admiral. 

Saturday, October 18th. 
" At break of day the shore was thronged with people 
all young, as I have already said, and all of good stature, fine 
looking; their hair not crisped but straight and coarse like 
horse hair, head and forehead broader than I have ever seen 
in any other people ; eyes fine and large : none are dark 
hued, but of the color of the inhabitants of the Canaries, 
which is to be expected as this island is on a line W S W., from 
the Isle of Ferro, one of the Canaries. Their limbs are straight, 
and not with prominent bellies, but w^ere well formed. They 
came to the ship in canoes formed from a single trunk of a 
tree, like a long boat, all in one piece and hollowed out very 
ingeniously for that country, and large enough to hold forty 
or forty-five men ; others were smaller, some holding only 
one man. They rowed with paddles that looked like a baker's 
peel, aiid managed their canoes very dexterously, and if they 
overturned they swam about in the water, with perfect ease, 
righting their canoes with great facility and baling them with 



37 

calabashes, which they had with them. They brought with 
them cotton yarn and parrots and wooden lances, and other 
trifles, too tedious to mention, and they gave them all for 
anything that was offered them. I was anxious to learn 
whether they had any gold, as I noticed chat some of the 
natives had rings hanging from holes in their noses, and by 
signs they gave me to understand that to the south there 
dwelt a king who had large vessels of wrought gold, and 
that he had a great quantity. I tried to get them to go for 
some, but they could not understand they were to go. I 
determined to wait until the morrow in the afternoon and 
then sail S W., for, many of them told me that there was a 
land to the south, as well as to the southwest and to the 
northwest ; and that people from the last mentioned quarter 
frequently went to the southwest in quest of gold and 
precious stones. 

This island is very large and flat, well wooded, with 
abundant streams of water and a large lake in the centre ; 
there are no mountains, but everything is so green that it is 
pleasing to the eye. These people so gentle, and so eager 
to procure what we have and think they must always give 
something in return but when they have nothing to give, 
they take what is given them, and swim after our vessel. 
But, whatever they have they give freely for any thing that 
is given them ; they even gathered fragments of earthenware 
and of glass as invaluable prizes; I saw exchanged sixteen 
balls of cotton yarn for three Portuguese ceutes; ^ ^ these balls 
are equal to twenty-five pounds of cotton yarn. This trafBc 
I forbade and would not permit any one to engage in it 
reserving all traffic in the merchandise for your Highnesses, 
if a sufficient quantity can be procured. It is raised on this 
island, but in the short time I have been here, I cannot be 
too sure about it. The gold they wear in their noses is also 
found here : not to lose time, I have determined to see if I 



15 Properly IJeuti or eepU, a coin of Ceuta that was current in Portugal 



cannot find the island of Cipango. ' ^ 

Now that night was upon us, all went ashore in their 
canoes." 

Sunday, October 14th. 

"At daybreak, I ordered the ships launch and the boats ot 
the caravels to make ready to reconnoitie the island, and 
direct our course to the N N E. 1 wanted to see the other 
side of the island and the villages. Later on I saw two or 
three villages the inhabitants of which ran to the shore, 
motioned us to land and gave thanks to God. Some brought 
vessels of water and others food. Finding that I did not 
steer for the shore, many plunged into the sea and swam after 
us, and we understood by their signs that they asked us if we 
had come from heaven. An old man came in a canoe, others 
both men and women called out in a loud voice " come and 
see the men who have come from heaven, bring them food." 
Then came many men and women, each one bringing some- 
thing ; giving thanks to God, throwing themselves upon the 
grovmd and raising their hands towards heaven, and again call- 
ing upon us to land. But I was afraid, as I saw the coast sur- 
rounded by a reef of rocks that surrounds the entire island, 
and within which there was a depth of water and sufficient 
harbor to receive all the ships in Christendom ; and the 
entrance to which was very narrow. It is true that within 
there are several sand banks, but the water was as smooth 
as in a pond. It was to see all this that I moved forward this 
morning, so as to be able to give Your Highnesses a full 
account of it. I also wanted to secure a suitable place for a 
fort. I soon came to a small peninsula on which were six 
cabins, and which was two or three days sail from the main- 
land. I really see no necessity for building a fort, as these 
people seem to be ignorant of the use of arms ; as Your 
Highnesses will judge from the seven that I have ordered to 

16 Marco Polo in chapter CVI, of the account of his vo)'age assures us 
that he had seen this island, of which he gives a description and he adds 
that it was situated on the high sea, at a distance of 1500 miles from the 
continent of India. Dr. Robertson sa3S that this was probably Japan. 
Rechcirhex hint-Hur C lude ancienne. 



39 

be taken with me that they might learn our language, and 
serve as interpreters ; unless, Your Highnesses desire to have 
them all go with us to Castile, or held captive on this very 
island ; because with fifty of our men^ I can hold them all in 
subjection and make them do anything I may desire. There 
are also on this island, groves and gardens, the most beautiful 
I have ever seen, and with foliage as green as those in Castile 
in April and May. I noticed everything connected with this 
harbor, and then I returned to the ship and again set sail. I 
saw so many islands that I could not decide where to land first 
and the seven natives I have on board, made known to me by 
signs that there were so many as to be countless, and they 
mentioned more than a hundred by name.^'" I then looked 
around for the largest* ^, and determined to go to it, and I did 
so, and this must be distant from San Salvador five leagues, 
and further from the others. All are very level, without 
mountains and very fertile ; all are inhabited and the natives 
make war upon one another, notwithstanding that these people 
are very simple and though shapely in form, not robust. 

Monday, October 15th. 

We lay to here over night for fear of drifting to land or 
of going aground before morning for want of knowledge of 
these waters, and at daybieak continued our course, and as 
the islands were some distance from us, more than five leagues, 
it might have been seven, and the tide was against us, it must 
have been noon when we reached the said island ; I found 
that part of it towards the island of San Salvador extending 
from north to south some fiVe leagues, and the other which I 
followed ran from east and west some ten or more leagues, 
and as from this island, I saw another larger island to the 
west, I set sail and went all that day until night, with- 
out reaching the western extremity. I gave this island 

17 The multitude of these islands would seem to indicate that they 
formed the group known as the Caicos, the Inaguas, Great and Little, and 
Mariguana ; and the others that lie to the west. 

18 This must be the one called Great Caieo, and is &\^ leagues from 
the first. 



40 

the name of Santa Maria de la Concepcion.i '•» About sunset 
I anchored near the cape on said island to ascertain whether 
there was any gold there because the natives I have brought 
with me from Scot Salvador told ine that the people here 
wear bracelets and anklets of massive gold. I imagined that 
all they said was fiction and with the object of getting ashore 
to escape. With all this, it was my intention to pass no island 
without taking possession, because once taken, it would 
answer for all time. I anchored and remained until to-day 
(Tuesday) when, at daybreak 1 went ashore with my boats 
manned and armed. I found the natives the same as those 
of San Salvador, the same nakedness and the same absence 
of wealth ; they permitted us to roam at will over their island 
and gave us anything we asked for. As the wind was chang- 
ing to S E., I did not wish to remain and returned to the ship. 
One of the Indians on board the Nina plunged into the sea 
and swam to a large canoe near by and went off in it, (and at 
midnight the previous night the same was done by another), 
8 and followed the canoe, which was managed 

so skillfully that we could not overtake it, with all the advan- 
tage we had. On reaching the shore they all fled like 
chickens and left the canoe after them. Some of my crew 
went in pursuit, they captured the canoe and brought it to 
the Niila, which was now being approached from another 
direction by a small canoe, with a single Indian on board who 
came to barter a ball of cotton. As he paused when near the 
vessel and feared to come on board, some of the crew jumped 
overboard and captured him. I was standing on the high 
poop of the vessel and saw all that passed, and I sent for him 
and put a red cap on his head and strings of green beads 
around his arms and two hawks' bells in his ears, and I ordered 

19 This would appear to be the island now known as the North Caico, 
although bearing the name Santa Maria de la Concepcion all the neighboring 
islands are known as the Vaicos. 

20 From the unintelligible text in the original and the blank that fol- 
lows, the sense of the sentence becomes obscure. He probably meant to 
say "and on the night before, at midnight another native jumped overboard 
and made for the canoe of his companions, etc." 



-11 



him and his ball of cotton to be placed in his canoe, which 
had been made fast to the Niiia, and sent ashore. I now set 
sail for the other large island I saw to the west, and ordered 
the other canoe that was fastened astern of the caravel Niiia 
to be cast loose to be regained by its owners, I saw that 
when the Indian, whom I had liberated and whose ball of 
cotton I had refused to take, reached the shore the others 
thronged around him and regarded us with wonder and we 
seemed in their eyes to be honest people, and that the man 
we had kept and who fled from us must have done something 
wrong and it was for that reason that we had taken him with 
us ; for this reason I acted as I did, and ordered him liberated 
and gave him the things already mentioned, that we might 
be held in esteem, so that, at another time, when Your High- 
nesses should send others to these parts they should not 
encounter hostility. All I gave the man did not amount to four 
maravedis. Thus, I set sail, at about ten o'clock with a S E., 
wind, and steered south so as to reach this other island men- 
tioned, which is very large, and which all the natives I have 
with me from San Salvador, inform me by signs, abounds 
with gold, and the inhabitants wear it on their arms as 
bracelets, on their legs, in their ears, in their noses and 
around their necks. This island is nine leagues W., of the 
island of Santa Maria, and extends from N W., to S E., about 
twenty-eight leagues, ^i and is very level, without any moun- 
tains, like San Salvador and Santa Maria, and the shores 
without rocks, except that they all have a few ledges under 
the water near the shore, and in the vicinity of which great 
care must be taken when anchoring, and not to anchor too 
near the shore, although the waters are always very clear 
and the bottom may be seen. And at two gun shot dis- 
tance from land there is no anchorage among these islands 
because of the great depth of the water. These islands are 
very green and fertile, and the air is very balmy, and there 
may be many things here that I know not of, as I do not 
wish to delay here, but to visit many islands to find gold. 
And considering the signs of its existence among the natives 
21 It is only nineteen leagues. 



42 

who wear it on their arms and legs, and it is true gold 
because I showed them some pieces that I had, and I shall 
not fail, with the help of God to find it where it originates. 
Being between these two islands, that is, that of Santa Maria, 
and this large one which I have named Fernandina, 22 I over 
took a single Indian in a canoe going from Santa Maria to 
Fernandina. He had a little of his bread, perhaps a morsel, 
and a calabash of water, a piece of red earth made into i.ov\- 
der and afterward kneaded up, and some dry leaves which 
must be highly prized among the inhabitants for a quantity 
of it was brought to me at San Salvador. He had also a little 
basket, a string of glass beads, and two blancas. - '^ From 
this I know that he came from the island of San Salvador, 
had passed to Santa Maria island and was on his way to 
Fernandina. He came alongside, and I made him come 
aboard, as he desired, and made fast his canoe. 1 made him 
keep everything he had, and gave him, besides, bread and 
honey and drink. In this way we shall carry him to Fernan- 
dina, where I shall restore to him his belongings, so that he 
may give a good accoimt of us to the inhabitants, and that 
God willing, when Your Highnesses shall send any one here, 
those who come may receive honor, and whatever the natives 
ma}' be able to give them. 

TuESD.AV, October !(>. 

I set out from the islands of Santa Maria de la Concep- 
cion, at about noon, for the island of Fernandina, which 
appears to be very large in the west, and I was all the day 
becalmed so that I could not arrive in time to see the bottom 
and secure good anchorage, because it is necessary, in thes'e 
waters to exercise the greatest care, so as to avoid losing our 
anchors ; so I beat back and forth until morning, when I 
came to a village, where I anchored and to which had gone 
the man I picked up yesterday in the canoe, at sea, and who 
had given such good reports of us that our vessels were sur- 
rounded with canoes, and the natives brought us pure water 

32 Now called Little Inagua — Exuma. 
23 Spanish copper coins. 



4S 

from their springs. 1 ordered something to be given to each 
man, such as a few beads on a string and some hawks' bells, 
plates of brass, such as are worth in Castile about one mara- 
vedi each, and some thongs of leather, all of which were held 
in great esteem ; I also ordered that those who came on board 
should be fed with honey. At three o'clock I sent the ship's 
launch ashore for water, and the natives very cheerfully 
showed my crew where they could find it, while they them- 
selves helped to carry the casks to the ship, and were very 
anxious to do everything to please us. This island is very 
large and I intend to sail around it, because, so far as I can 
understand, there is gold on or near it. This island is some 
eight leagues W., from Santa Maria. After writing this, I 
set sail with a southerly wind to try to go around the island 
and to work along until I find JSamaot, the island or city 
where the gold is, for that is what is told us by all who come 
on board the ship, as also the inhabitants of Santa Maria and 
of San Salvador. These people are similar in every respect 
to those of the afore mentioned islands, with the same lan- 
guage and customs ; except that these seem to me to be more 
domestic, and more ingenious and intelligent. I see that 
they have brought cotton and other things on board, which 
they barter with more profit than the others seemed to 
expect. Here I have noticed cotton goods made into mantles, 
and the natives more tidy, while the women wear a kind of 
little aprons which somewhat covered their nudity, but they 
are for the most part entirely naked. This island is very 
green and level and fertile, and I have no doubt that they 
plant and reap all the year around. I saw man}' trees very 
different from ours, and among them, some whose bra:nches 
extended in all directions and of divers forms, but all pro- 
ceeded from one trunk. I know of no religion 'among these 
people, and I think they would readily become Christians, 
because they are all very well disposed. Here too, the fish 
are so different from ours, that it is really wonderful to behold. 
They rivaled the birds in brilliancy of color ; blue, yellow, 
red, of all colors, and these colors are so exquisite that no 
one could fail to be lost in delight and wonder in looking at 



44 



them. There are also dolphins here. I saw no animals of 
any kind except parrots and lizards. A sailor toid me that he 
had seen a large serpent. I saw neither sheep nor goats nor 
any other animal, although, I have been here but a short 
time, half a day, still, if there were any I could not fail to 
have seen some. I shall describe the appearance of this 
island after I shall have circumnavigated it. 

Wednesday, October 17th. 

At noon I set sail from this village near which 1 had 
anchored and where I took fresh water, to cruise around the 
island of Fernandina. The wind was S W by S., and favora- 
ble to my course as I was told by the Indians I have on board 
and others too, indicate that the island they call Samoet, where 
the gold abounds, lies in this direction. Martin Alonzo Pin- 
zon, captain of the caravel Pinta, on board of which I sent 
these Indians, came to me and informed me that one of them 
had told him very definitely, that we could sail around the 
island more readily by taking northwesterly course. I saw 
that the wind was not favorable to the course I wished to take 
and was favorable to the other ; I steered northwest, and 
when two leagues from the cape of the island I discovered a 
beautiful harbor, with an entrance, or rather, two entrances, 
I might say, formed by an island which lay at its mouth. This 
harbor is large enough to hold a hundred ships. I kept a 
sharp look out and sounded, and thus made my way out of it. 
And, as I thought, when I first saw it that it was the mouth 
of a river, I ordered the crew to land with casks for fresh 
water. On landing eight or ten men came forward and show- 
ed us near by where to obtain water, and where I sent the 
crew, some with casks and others with arms. While the 
men were thus engaged, I wandered through these groves for 
some two hours, the most beautiful I had ever beheld. The 
country was as fresh and green as the month of May in 
Andalusia ; the trees, the fruits and the herbs, the flowers, the 
very stones for the most part, were as different from those of 
Spain as night from day. The inhabitants were, as has al- 
ready been said, like unto the other islanders ; like them they 



45 

were naked, of the same proportions, and parted with what 
they had for anything offered them ; and here I noticed that 
some of the crew were trading off some pieces of broken 
crockery and glass ware for javelins. Others who had gone 
for water told me how they had visited some of the houses 
and that they were very clean and neat and that their beds 
and coverings were something that looked like nets of cotton ^^ 
The houses are all after the manner of pavilions or circular 
tents with very high chimneys; ^^ I did not see many vil- 
lages and none that exceeded twelve to fifteen cabins. Here 
we found that the married women wore a sort of cotton trunks, 
the young ones wore nothing,except a few who might have been 
about eighteen years of age. They had mastiffs and a sort 
of dumb-dogs (^that never barked.) Some of the crew came 
across a native who had a piece of gold in his nose that might 
have been worth about half a castellmio, ^^ and on which 
were some letters. I chided them for not buying it from him at 
any price he might have asked, that I might have ascertained 
what the coin was and where it belonged ; and they replied 
that they would never have dared to have taken it 
from him. After getting a supply of water we returned on 
board, and set sail, and steered S E., until I had discovered 
all that part of the island as far as the coast which runs W S W., 
and then all the Indians began to say that this island was 
smaller than the island of Saomet, and that it would be better 
to turn back so as to reach it sooner. The wind which had 
fallen entirely now began to blow W N W., which was con- 
trary to where we had come from, and I was obliged to tack 
all night, and to stand out to sea because the sea was rising 
and the weather was very heavy, and I did not dare go near 
the shore to anchor. It rained heavily from midnight until 
near daylight, and the sky is still overcast and threatening ; 
we are nearing the cape at the S E., part of the island where 

34 Hammocks. 

25 These chimneys are not intended for smoke, but as a sort of 
crown-tops surmounting the straw cabins of the Indians. This aperture 
was also used for smoke. 

26 A verj^ small coin ; now out of use. 



4R 

1 expect to anchor until the weather clears enough to allow 
one to see the islands I want to reach. It has rained more or 
less ever since I have been among these Indies. Your High- 
nesses may well believe that this is the best, the most fertile, 
the most temperate, the most level and richest country in 
the world. 

Thursday, October )8th. 

After it had cleared up, I followed the wind and sailed 
around the island as best I could, and came to anchor at 
nightfall. I did not go ashore, and set sail again at daybreak. 

Friday, October 19th. 
At sunrise I upanchored and sent the caravel Pinta to 
the E S E., and the caravel Niila to the S S E., and I with 
the ship sailed S E., and gave orders to keep in their course 
until noon and then both should change the tack and make 
for the ship. Before we had sailed three hours we saw an 
island to eastward, for which we all three made and the north 
point of which we reached at noon. Around this there is a 
reef of rocks to the north, and another between this and the 
large island, which the natives I brought with me from San 
Salvador, call the island of Saomete, bat to which I have 
given the name of laabella.^'^ The wind was north and this 
reef was in the course of the island of Fernandina from which 
I had sailed, and the coast extended from the reef west for 
some twelve leagues to a cape which I named Caho Uermoso 
which lies to the W. It is very beautiful, being round and 
very deep, with no bars near it. At first it is rocky and deep 
but further in the shore is sandy, and I anchored off this 
coast for the night. If the other islands are beautiful this is 
more so. It abounds in trees very green and large ; the 
ground rises to higher eminences than that of the other islands 
we have discovered, not that they can be called mountains, 
but which contribute to the natural beauty of the island. I 
wanted to anchor near by and go on shore to enjoy so much 
beauty ; but the water was too shoal, so I had to anchor fur- 

27 It appears that the Isabella corresponds with the island now known 
by tlie name of tlie Great Inagaa. 



47 

ther out. 1 do not know where to land first upon these 
islands ; the eye never wearies at seeing- so much beautiful 
verdure, and so different from ours. I believe there are here 
many herbs and trees which would be of great value in Spain 
for dyes medicines and spices, but I know nothing of them, 
and this causes me great concern. And as I approached the 
cape there came from it a fragrance so good and soft of flow- 
ers or trees from the land, that seemed the sweetest thing in 
the world. Before leaving here in the morning I shall go 
ashore to see what there is at this cape ; there are no villages 
save in the interior where the natives I have brought with me 
say there is a king and that he has much gold. Early in the 
morning I shall advance until I find their villages, and see or 
communicate with the king, who as these people give me to 
understand, rules over all the neighboring islands, wears 
clothes and much gold upon his person. I do not, however, 
place great reliance on what I am told, partly because of the 
difficulty in understanding the natives and also because of my 
knowledge of their poverty of gold, and that the little this 
king may wear seems to them a great deal. This place to 
which I have given the name of Cabo Jlermoso, I believe to 
be an island apart from Saometo, and there is still another 
smaller one near by. I do not always hasten in this manner, 
because I could not see all there is to be seen in fifty years, 
but I wish to see and discover all I can at present, because I 
am anxious to return to Your Highnesses, God willing, in 
April. It is true, that finding a place where there is gold or 
spices in quantity, I shall delay until I have secured all I possi- 
bly can, and for this reason I am cruising around in search of it. 

Saturday, October, 20th 

To-day, at sunrise I left my anchorage off the island of 
Saometo, at its S E., cape, to which I gave the name of Cabo 
de la Laguria, and to the island that of Isabela, and stood W 
S W., where I understood my Indians to say I should find the 
village and the king, but I found the way so shallow that I 
could not go on ; I saw too that by sailing S W., I should 
make too long a detour, and for this reason I resolved to 



48 



turn back upon the course I had followed N N E., on the 
west side, and go around the island 2« the 

wind was so light that I could scarcely make the coast until 
nightfall ; and because it is dangerous to cast anchor among 
these islands, except by daylight, when one may see where he 
drops it, I lay to all this night into Sunday. The caravels 
anchored, because they made the anchorage early, and they 
signaled to me, as was our custom to do likewise, but I did 
not do so. 

Sunday, October 21st. 
At ten o'clock I reached this cape of the island and cast 
anchor, as did also the caravels, and after breakfast I w^ent 
ashore. Here I found only one cabin in which there was no one, 
and I am led to believe that its inmates fled through fear at our 
approach, because all their belongings were in it. I allowed 
nothing to be touched, and went forth with my captains and 
crews to see the island, and if the others we have seen were 
beautiful and green and fertile, this one is much more so . 
with large groves and deep foliage. Here are large lakes, 
and the groves about them are marvelous ; and here and in 
all the island, everything is green as in April in Andalusia. 
The singing of the little birds is such, that it seems that one 
would never desire to depart hence. There are flocks of 
parrots that obscure the sun, and other birds, large and small, 
of so many kinds, different from ours, that it is wonderful ; 
there are trees of a thousand species, each having its particu- 
lar fruit and all of marvelous flavor, so that I am in the 
greatest trouble in the world not to know them, for I am 
very certain that they are all of great value. I shall take 
home some of them as specimens, and also of the herbs. 
While wandering thus along one of these lakes I saw a ser- 
pent, -'•' which we killed and I bring the skin to Your High- 
nesses. As soon as it saw us, it plunged into the lake, and 
we followed it, the water not being deep, until we dispatched 

2y This blank occurs in the original —the word left out may be 
reconnoitre. 

29 He means here, an igiuinn, the llesli of which was highly prized by 
the natives. 



49 

it with lances. It is seven palms in length. I think the lake 
abounds in them. Here I recognized aloes, and I intend 
to-morrow to take some ten quintals on board, because it is 
said to be very valuable. Also, while in search of good water 
we came upon a settlement, about half a league away, the 
people of which, as soon as they saw us took to flight, and 
left their houses, and took their belongings and hid them 
among the hills, I did not allow the value of a pin to be taken 
from them. Later on a few men came near us, and one of 
them came up to us. I gave him some hawks' bells and 
some glass beads, with which he was highly delighted ; and 
that our friendship might increase by requiring something 
from them, I asked for fresh water, and no sooner had we 
returned to our ships than they brought us some in their 
calabashes, and seemed delighted to give it to us, and I or- 
dered more beads to be distributed among them, and they 
promised to come back in the morning. I was anxious to fill 
all the water casks on the vessel here, so that if I can get 
the time I shall sail round this island, and hold parley with 
this king, and try to obtain some of the gold which I hear he 
has ; and then set out for a larger island, which I think must 
be Ghlpango, according to the information given me by my 
Indians, and which they call Colba,, '"to which they say 
that large merchant ships come to trade with its inhabitants. 
From this island, I shall seek another which the natives call 
Boslo ^ 1 of which the natives also give marvelous accounts 
But I still hold to the idea of going to terra firma and to the 
city of Guisay and deliver in person the letter of Your 
Highnesses to the Grand Khan and receiving his reply return 
with it to Spain. 

Monday, October 22d. 

All night I waited to see whether the king of this place 
or some other persons would bring us gold or some other 
valuable. Many of these people came ; they were like unto 

30 This seems to be a mistake in the original. He means Cuba as is 
proved further on. 

81 Perhaps he means Bohio, as he calls it later on. 



50 

those on the other islands ; naked, some painted white, some 
red, some black, and others in various ways. They carried 
javelins and some balls of spinning cotton, which they ex- 
changed with some of the crew for pieces of glass, broken 
cups, and straps of leather. Some of the natives had pieces 
of gold hanging from their noses, which they gladly disposed 
of for hawks' bells and glass beads ; but it is so scarce as to 
amount to nothing. They highly prized anything we gave 
them and regarded our arrival as something marvelous; they 
thought we had descended from the skies. We took water 
for our vessels from the lake which is near the ca/>e of ^he 
island, for, I so named it. In this same lake Martin Alonso 
Pinzon, Captain of the Pinta, killed another serpent (iguana) 
like the one we killed yesterday, measuring seven palms, 
I here took on board all the aloes I could find. 

Tuesday, October 23d. 
" I would like to start to-day for the island of Cuba, which 
I think must be Cipango, from what the natives here tell me 
of its size and wealth, and I shall not tarry here longer, 
nor^^ around this island to go to the village, as I had 

resolved upon to hold converse with this king or lord ; I shall 
not delay long as I see there are no gold mines here, and to 
circumnavigate these islands it requires wind from every 
quarter, and the wind does not blow from the quarter we 
want it to. Hence, I deem it best to go on where I can have 
more play, and make more headway so as to reach some land 
that will prove profitable : [ am inclined to believe that a 
great abundance of spices is to be found here, and my not 
knowing them causes me great anxiety, inasmuch as I see 
all manner of trees bearing every variety of fruits, and as 
green now, as they are in Spain in May and June. I see 
also a thousand varieties of herbs, some in bloom, and of all 
these I only know the aloes, a large quantity of which I had 
to-day, transported to our ships for Your Highnesses. I have 
not sailed, nor can 1 do so for Cuba, because there is no wind 
There is a dead calm and heavy rain. Yesterday it rained a 

3'3 The same blank space appears in the original. 



51 

great deal but it was not cold. During the day it is war'n and 
the nights are as temperate as in May in Analusia in Spain. 

Wednesday, Oc iober 24th. 
" At midnight I " up anchored " off the island of Isabella 
and Cape Island which is north of where we lay, to start for 
Cuba, which I learn from the people, is large and important, 
and where there abound gold and spices and large ships and 
merchants, and that by sailing W S W., I will reach it. This 
I am inclined to do, for I believe that if, all the Indians of 
these islands and those I have brought with me, tell me by 
signs, as I do not understand their language, be true, it is 
the island of Ci2)ango that all these wonderful things are 
told about, and from all the signs I have noticed on the 
maps of the world, it must be in this vicinity. I therefore, 
stood W S W., until daylight, when the wind died away, 
while the rain which had been falling most of the night con- 
tinued. We remained thus with little wind till the afternoon, 
when a delightful breeze sprung up. Every sail was set, and 
we stood off until near nightfall, when Cabo Verde which is 
in the S W., part of the island of Fernandina, bore N W., 
seven leagues distant. The wind continuing to blow fresh, 
and not knowing the distance to the island of Cuba, I deter- 
mined not to run for it during the night, as these islands 
have bold shores, no bottom being obtained at more than 
two lombard-shots from land. Add to this that we are sur- 
rounded with rocks and shoals in abundance, and that all 
these, taken together, makes it very dangerous to anchor 
except during the day. I, therefore, ordered all sail to be 
taken in, except the foresail, and kept on under that. The 
wind increased and we made much headway, the full extent 
of which I could not ascertain. It was very windy with rain; 
finally I ordered the foresail to be taken in. We did not 
make two leagues the whole night. 

Thursday, October 25th. 
Sailed after sunrise till nine o'clock, a distance of five 
leagues, and then altered the course to W., and went at the 
rate of eight miles an hour till one o'clock, and from this 



52 

until three in the afternoon, made forty-four miles, when 
land came in sight. It proved to be seven or eight islands,^^ 
extending" from north to south, and were five leagues distant. 

Friday, October 2t)th. 
Dropped anchor south of these islands ; w^ater shallow 
five or six leagues from the shore. The Indians on board 
said that the island of Cuba was a day and a half's journey 
in their canoes from where they now were. These canoes 
were quite small, made of a single log and carrying no sail. 
Set out for Ctiba, because, from the information given by the 
Indians of its size and of the abundance of gold and pearls 
to be found there, no doubt remained that it was Cijwngo. 

Saturday, October 2Tth. 
Weighed anchor at sunrise and sailed from these islands, 
which were named La.< Is/as de Arena (Sand Islands) because 
of the shoals which extended out from them for six leagues 
to the south. Sailed S S W., eight miles an hour until one 
o'clock, and made forty miles, and by night had made twenty- 
eight more in the same direction ; before dark came in sight 
of land. The night was very ramy and a strict watch was 
kept. Sailed on Satuiday up to sunset, scYcnteen leagues 

to the S S W. 

Sunday, Ociober 28th. 

Sailed from here S S W., in quest of the island of Cuba, 

and hugging the nearest shore, entered a fine river free from 

danger of shoals or other perils ; all the coast along here was 

deep and unobstructed. The mouth of the river had a depth 

of twelve fathoms of water and plenty of leewa5^ Anchored 

here at about a lombard-shot from the shore. The Admiral 

says that he never saw anything more beautiful. Trees 

abounded close to the river, and their foliage was green and 

luxuriant, and different from ours, and bearing fruits and 

blossoms of all kinds. Birds were very abundant and the 

little ones sang most sweetly. There were great numbers of 

palm trees differing from those in Guinea and from ours, 

33 These must have been the eastern and southern points of the Grand 
Bank of the Bahamas. 



53 

moderate in size and without their peculiar bark. The leaves 
were large and were used by the natives for covering their 
cabins. The land appeared quite level. The Admiral en- 
tered his launch and went ashore ; he found two dwellings, 
the inmates of which he judged to be fishermen who had fled 
through fear at his approach. In one of them he found a 
dumb dog. In both cabins he found nets of palm threads, 
lines, horn fish hooks, bone harpoons and other fishing im- 
plements, and many fire places, and he supposed that each of 
these houses was resorted to by many persons. He ordered 
that nothing of all these should be touched, which order was 
obeyed. The grass was as tall as in Andalusia in April and 
May. Purslain and strawberry-blite abounded. He returned 
to his boat and went some distance up the river, where the 
Admiral says it was delightful to behold the charming ver- 
dure and foliage, and the birds, and that it was with difficulty 
that he could tear himself away from these scenes. He 
declares that that island is the most beautiful that eyes have 
ever looked upon. It abounds in good harbors and deep 
rivers, with a shore upon which it would seem the sea never 
breaks, as the grass grows down to the very edge of the water, 
something that never happens where the sea is rough. Up 
to this time these islands had never experienced an angry sea. 
The isle, he says, is full of beautiful mountains, which are 
high, though not of very great extent, while the rest of the 
country is high, after the manner of Sicily. The island is 
full of streams, as he was able to gather from the Indians 
from Guanahani whom he had brought with him, and who 
indicated to him, by signs, that there are ten large rivers, of 
such size that their canoes cannot make the circuit of them 
all in twenty days. While the ships were sailing landwards, 
two canoes put off from the shore, but when the natives in 
them perceived that the sailors from the ships were manning 
their boats and rowing towards the mouth of the river to 
sound for a safe anchorage, they took flight in their canoes. 
The Indians said that there were mines of gold and pearls 
upon this island, and the Admiral observed muscles and other 
indications of these objects in the vicinity. The Admiral also 



54 

understood that large ships came here from the Great Kahn, 
and that the mainland was distant a ten days voyage. The 
Admiral named this river and port San Salvador.^* 

Monday, October 29th. 
Weighed anchor from this port and sailed west, bound 
in quest of the city in which the Indians seemed to indicate 
that he would find the said king. A point -^^ of the island 
extended towards the N W., six leagues from the place of 
their departure, and another ^^ ten leagues to the eastward. 
One league further on discovered a river with a smaller en- 
trance which the Admiral called }fio de Lvna. ^ '^ Kept on 
until the vesper hour. Saw another river, much larger than 
those they had yet seen, and as the Indians signified to them, 
also by signs. On the banks were seen a goodly collection of 
houses ; the Admiral named it Eio de Mares. ^^ He sent two 
boats ashore to hold converse with the people ; in one of 
them he sent an Indian of those on board, because they 
could now make themselves understood a little, and they ap- 
peared to have became reconciled to the society of christians. 
The people on shore, men, women and children, all fled at 
their approach, abandoning their dwellings with all they 
contained. The Admiral commanded that nothing belonging 
to them should be touched. He says that the houses were 
the finest he had yet seen, and believes that the nearer he 
•comes to the mainland, the more they will improve. They 
were constructed after the manner of tents, were very large, 
and each collection of them appeared like a camp, without 
the order of streets, but scattered here and there. The 
interiors were very clean and neat, and everything in perfect 
order. They are all built of palm branches and are very fine. 
Here were found many statues in the form of women, and 
numerous heads something like masks, very well executed. 

34 Now known as the port or bay of Nipe. Six leagues S S E from 
Punta dc Mulas. 

35 Punta de Mulas. 

36 Punta Cabana. 

37 Probably Puerto dc Bant-s, which is N N W., of the former. 

38 Probably Puerto de las Nucvitas del Principe. 



55 

I cannot tell whether these were used as ornaments or as 
objects of worship. Here were dogs that never bark ; small 
fowl, originally wild but now tame about the houses ; mar- 
velous assortments of nets and fish hooks and other imple- 
ments for fishing ; nothing of all this was touched by the 
Spaniards. The Admiral judged that the dwellers along the 
coast were fishermen, and carried what they caught inland, 
because the island is very large, and one never wearies in 
speaking of its beauties. He says he found trees and fruits 
of the most delightful odor, and that there must be cows and 
other cattle on the island, as he saw skulls which appeared 
to belong to cows. All through the night was heard the 
melody of birds and crickets ; the air was soft and mild 
through the night ; neither hot nor cold. In the other islands 
the heat was great, but here it was temperate like May. He 
ascribes the heat on the other islands to their being level, and 
to the wind which blows there, which, being from the east, 
is consequently hot. The water of these rivers was salt at 
the mouth ; it was not known where the Indians drank ; the 
water in their dwellings was fresh. This river was broad 
enough for ships to manoevre in on entering and departing, 
and along the shore are many valuable landmarks. It was 
seven or eight fathoms deep at the mouth, and five inside. 
The Admiral thinks that the sea about here must always be 
as smooth as the river at Seville and the water seems favor- 
able to pearl raising. Here were periwinkles of large size, 
but, unlike those of Spain, tasteless. He describes the river 
and port of San Salvador, above referred to, as marked by 
lofty and beautiful mountains, like the Pena de los Eaamorados 
(the Lovers' Peak) one of them containing on its summit a pro- 
tuberance in the form of a beautiful mosque. The other river 
or harbor, in which we are now, has to the S E., two moun- 
tains almost round, and to the W N W., a fine level cape 
juts out into the sea. 

Tuesday, October 30th. 

Left Rio de Mares to the N W., and after having gone 
fifteen leagues, saw a cape covered with palms and called it 



56 

Cnho cle Palinas.^^ The Indians who were on board the 
Pinta, said that behind that cape, there was a river, and that 
that river was four day's journey from Cuba, and the captain 
of the Pinta said he understood that this Cuha was a city, and 
that that land was a mainland, very large, which extended far 
to the north, and that the king of that country was at war 
with the Grand Khan, whom the natives called Cami and 
whose country or city they called Favn, and many other 
names. The Admiral determined to reach that river and to 
send a present to the king of that country, and also the letter 
of the Sovereigns, and to do this he detailed a sailor who had 
traveled in Guinea, and some Indians from Guonahani who 
wanted to go with him, so that later they might return to 
their own land. To the Admiral's thinking, it was forty-two 
degrees north of the equinoctial line, *« if there is no mistake 
in the letter from which I have copied this, and he says he 
had to work his way to the Grand Khan, who, he thought, 
must be in that vicinity, or in the City of Cathay, which is 
the Grand Kahn's, and which is said to be very large, as he 
was told before he left Spain. All this land he says is level 
and beautiful and the sea deep, 

Wednesday, October 31st. 
Spent all Tuesday night tacking, and saw a river we 
could not enter because of lack of depth at the entrance. The 
Indians thought the vessel could pass through as well as 
their canoes, and sailing onward the fleet came to a cape which 
projected far out and was surrounded by a sandbar,and also a 
harbor in which small vessels could enter, but they could not 
make it because the wind had veered to the north ; the coast 
extended N N W., and S E., and another cape which appeared 
ahead projected still further out. The wind became contrary 
and the appearance of the Vieavens threatening rough weath- 
er, the Admiral put back to Rio de los Mares. 

39 Now called Alto de Danue. 

40 The quadrants of those times measured double altitudes, and con- 
sequent!)' the 4'i^ which he said was from the equator to the north, should 
be reduced to 21° N., Latitude, which is, with a slight difi'crence the 
parallel along which Columbus sailed. 



o7 

Thursday, November 1st. 
At sunrise the Admiral sent boats ashore to visit the 
houses there but the inhabitants had fled. After a while a 
single man appeared, and the Admiral ordered that he be 
left until reassured, and the boats returned to the ship. He 
sent the boats ashore again in the afternoon with an Indian 
interpreter, who from a distance told the native not to be 
afraid, that the strangers were a good people who would 
harm no one ; nor were they connected in any way with the 
Grand Khan. Having said this the Indian threw himself in- 
to the sea and swam ashore where two of the inhabitants took 
him in their arms and led him to a house where they ques- 
tioned him. On becoming convinced that no harm would 
come to them, they became reassured so that it was not long 
before sixteen canoe loads of them crowded around the ships 
bringing balls of cotton yarn and other trifles. The Admiral 
forbade trade for these things so that they would know that 
he desired nothmg but gold, which they called nucay, and 
thus during the entire day the natives came and went from 
the ships and our people went ashore with perfect security. 
The Admiral saw no gold among them, but he says he saw 
one of them have a piece of wrought silver hanging from 
his nose, from which he judged that there was silver on this 
island. They told us, by signs, that within three days many 
merchants would come from the interior to purchase such 
things as the Christians brought with them, and would bring 
news of the king or that country who, as they explained, by 
signs, was four day's journey distant, and that they had sent 
news of the Admiral's arrival to all parts of the country. 
These people, says the Admiral, are the same as all the others 
we have found, with no religion that I know of, for up to this 
time I have not seen those I have brought with me make any 
show of prayer. Up to this time they said the Salve and the 
Ave Maria with their heads raised to heaven as they have 
been taught to do. They also make the sign of the Cross 
now. They all speak the same language, and are all friends, 
as I believe them to be throughout all these islands, and that 
they are at war with the Grand Khan, whom they call Cavila, 



58 

and the province they call Bafati. They go about naked like 
the others. The Admiral says the river is very deep and 
vessels can approach quite close to land. The water is not 
fresh at the mouth, but some three miles up it is very fresh. 
The Admiral says he is sure this is the mainland, and, as he 
says, I am one hundred leagues *^ from Zayto and Guinscvj, 
about the same distance from each, and this is evident by 
the current which comes from a different direction than here- 
tofore, and yesterday when I sailed to the N W., it was cold, 

Friday, November 2d. 
The Admiral despatched as envoys to the neighboring mon- 
arch, two Spaniards, Rodrigo de Jerez, who lived at Ayam- 
onte, and Luis de Torres, who had lived with the Adelantado 
of Murcia; the latter a converted Jew who spoke Hebrew and 
Chaldaic, and even some Arabic ; and with them he sent two 
Indians, to act as interpreters, one from among those he had 
brought with him from Guonuhani and the other belonging 
to the hamlet on the bank of the river. He gave them strings 
of beads with which to purchase provisions, should they 
require them and allowed them six days for their journey 
there and back. He gave them specimens of spices so that 
they might ascertain if any of these abounded in the country. 
Instructions were given them to search out the king of that 
country, and as to what they were to tell him on the part of 
the Sovereigns of Castile, how the Admiral had been sent by 
them as a bearer of letters and a present which he was to de- 
liver personally, and of his purpose of establishing a friendly 
intercourse between the powers, etc, etc. They were also to 
acquire accurate information about the situation and distance 
of certain provinces, ports and rivers which the Admiral had 
descriptions of. Here the Admiral took his bearings to-night 



41 "This statement" says Las Casas, I am unable to understand. "As 
the Admiral was convinced that this was the extremity of the Indian con- 
tinent, he also believed himself to be a hundred leagues from the cities he 
mentions. Marco Polo gives an account of Quinsny or Giunmy, in chap- 
ter XCVIII, of the account of the voyage. 



59 

with a quadrant, and found that he was 42" from the equin- 
octial line,* 2 and he says that according to his calculations 
he had gone 1142 leagues from the Ferro Islands, *3 and he 
still declares that this is the mainland. 

Saturday, Novemrer 3d. 
In the morning the Admiral entered his launch, and as 
the river at its mouth forms a large lake, which tnakes a most 
extraordinary harbor, very deep and clear of rocks, a very 
good coast on which to careen vessels, and have them repair- 
ed and scraped, and there being much lumber too, he ordered 
this done. In the meantime, he ascended the river till he 
reached fresh water, which must have been near two leagues. 
Here landing, he climbed a hill to obtain a view of the inter- 
ior. He was prevented from doing so by thick and lofty forests 
which were fresh and odoriferous, and which he had no doubt, 
possessed valuable aromatic qualities. He says that what he 
saw was so beautiful, that he never wearied in admiring its 
beauties, and in listening to the song of the birds. On this 
day many canoes came alongside the vessels, wanting to 
trade balls of cotton or nets in which they slept and which 
are called hammocks. 

Sunday, November 4th. 
After sunrise the Admiral went ashore to hunt some of 
the birds he had seen the day before. On his return Alonso 
Pinzon came on board with two pieces of cinnamon and told 
him that a Porcuguese seamen on his vessel had seen an 
Indian with two large bundles of it, and that he did not dare 
trade with him for it, fearing to incur the penalty the 
Admiral had imposed upon any one who ventured to do any 
trading with the Indians for anything save gold. He also 
added that the Indian had some red things that looked like 
nuts. The Boatswain of the Pinta said that he had found 

42 "This is not correct because Cuba is in degrees." Las 
Casas. (It lies between 19° and 23** N Latitude.) In taking Columbus's 
calculation due allowance must be made for double altitudes. See note 
to October 30th. 

43 The true distance was 1105 leagues. 



60 

cinnamon trees. The Admiral went ashore later and found 
that the Boatswain had been mistaken. The Admiral showed 
some of the natives of the island specimens of cinnamon and 
pepper he had brought with him from Castile ; they recog- 
nized it and they indicated by signs that there were large 
quantities of it to the S W. He showed them pearls and 
gold, and some old men told him that at a place called Bohio** 
they abounded and that gold was worn on the neck and 
ears, and on the arms and legs, and also pearls. He further 
understood that there were large ships and merchandise; and 
all this was S W. He also learned that far from here there 
were men with only one eye and others with the heads of 
dogs who ate men, and who, when they captured one, cut 
his throat and drank his blood, and otherwise mutilated his 
person. The Admiral determined to return to his ship and 
await the return of his two messengers, before setting out to 
find that country, unless the messengers brought him the 
news he desired. The Admiral further states, these people 
are very gentle and timid, naked, as I have already said and 
destitute of arms and of laws. These lands are very fertile ; 
they are planted with mamees, which are like carrots ^^ and 
which taste like chestnuts; and they have beans-*" and beeches 
very diiferent from ours, and much cotton, which they do 
not plant, but which grows in the mountains ; large trees, 
and I think they can gather fruit at all seasons, because I 
have seen buds opening and others open and some blos- 
soming, all on one tree, and an abundance of all manner 
of fruit which is impossible for me to describe, but all of 
which must be very profitable. All this says the Admiral. 

Monday, November 5th. 

At sunrise the Admiral ordered the ship and other vessels 

to be careened for scraping and repairs, but not all at once ; 

but that two should always be in readiness for safety; although 

he says that these people were very trustworthy and not to be 

44 The Indians of those islands called their houses Bohio, and for this 
reason Las Casas thought the Admiral must have misunderstood them. 

45 This must have been the potato. 

46 These must be the ordinary beans. 



feared, and that he could strand all the vessels with perfect 
safety. While this was being done the Boatswain came to 
the Admiral to claim a reward, as he had discovered the 
mastic tree (Pistacia Lentiscus,) but he had no sample with 
him because he had dropped it. The Admiral promised it 
to him, biit sent Rodrigo Sanchez and the Supercargo Diego 
to where the trees were, and they found some of the gum, a 
portion of which they kept to carry to the Sovereigns ; and 
they said that they recognized the mastic gum, although it 
was out of season, and that there was enough in the neigh- 
borhood to afford a thousand quintals a year. He found here 
much of the wood which looked like lignaloes. He says, 
further, that the Puerto de Mares, is one of the best in the 
world, that the air is the purest, and the people the most 
gentle, and as it has a rather high promontory it will be a 
suitable place for a fortress, so that if the region should turn 
out rich and valuable things were found here our merchants 
could be protected from other nations ; and he adds ; May 
the Lord, in whose hands are all victories, direct all according 
to his service. He says that one of the Indians indicated by 
signs that mastic was good for pains in the stomach. 

Tuesday, November 0th. 
Last evening, says the Admiral, the two ambassadors 
who had been sent to the interior returned. They related 
how they had journeyed some twelve leagues when they came 
to a village of fifty houses, and which contained at least one 
thousand inhabitants, as a large number occupy one house. 
T'hey were received with great solemnity, according to their 
customs. All the mhabitants, men and women crowded 
around them ; they were taken to the best houses; some of the 
natives touched them, kissed their hands and feet, looked upon 
with wonder and inagined that they had came from heaven. 
This they manifested by signs. They gave their visitors 
what they had to eat. The ambassadors further said that on 
their arrival, the chief men of the village conducted them to 
the principal house and placed them on two chairs, (supposed 
to be chairs of state) whilst the natives sat on the floor 



02 

around them. The Indian interpreter who accompanied the 
Spaniards told them how the Christians live, and that they 
were good people. After some time the men withdrew and 
the women came in and seated themselves around the stran- 
gers in the same manner as the men had done ; kissing their 
hands and feet ; touching them, examining their skin to see 
whether they were flesh and bones like themselves. They be- 
sought them to remain with them at least five days. The 
visitors shovv'ed them specimens of cinnamon, pepper and 
other spices with which the Admiral had supplied them, and 
they replied, by signs, that these abounded near by to the 
S W., but that there was none in the immediate vicinity. 
Seeing that there was no appearance of treasures among 
them, the envoys determined to return to the ship. The 
natives were anxious to accompany them, to the number of 
over five hundred men and women, because they thought 
they were about to return to the skies. There came with 
them, however, one of the principal men with his son; they 
were attended by a domestic. The Admiral spoke with them 
and did them much honor ; he showed them many lands and 
islands in the neighborhood ; he thought of taking them to 
his Sovereigns, and says he d< cs not know what came over 
them, for it appears that a fear came over them after dark 
and they wanted to go ashore ; and the Admiral says that 
because of his having the vessel beached (undergoing repairs) 
and not wishing to displease his guest, he allowed him to go, 
on his promise to return in the morning, which he never did. 
On their way back from the villages the two Christians, 
noticed numerous men and women going about from one vil- 
lage to another with firebrands in their hands, and certain 
dried herbs which they rolled up in a leaf, and lighting one 
end, put the other in their mouth and continued inhalingand 
exhaling volumes of smoke.*'' They met with many ham- 
lets, but none with more than four or five houses, all well 
peopled. They saw many varieties of trees, herbs and fragrant 
flowers. They saw many varieties of birds, different from 

47 This is the first mention made of tobacco. Bishop Las Casas refers 
to it in his Hidoria General de las Tiidias," lib I Cap. 46. 



()3 

those in Spain, except some partridges and nightingales 
which sang, and geese which were very numerous. No four- 
footed animals were seen except dogs that never bark. The 
soil is very fertile and largely planted in beans, mamees and 
panic-grass. Also a large quantity of cotton, in yarn and 
wrought into nets of which they made their hammocks. In 
one of the store houses they saw more than five hundred ar- 
robas-*^ and that they could raise in that region four thousand 
quintals a year. The Admiral says it seemed as if they 
planted and gathered fruit all the year round. The cotton is 
very fine and has full heads. Everything these people pos- 
sessed they parted with for the most trifling things, and they 
would exchange a large bale of cotton for a piece of leather 
strap or anything else given them. They are a people, says 
the Admiral, who are guileless and unwarlike ; they go 
about, men and women, as naked as when they came into the 
world. It is true that some of the women had a slight cov- 
ering of netted cotton around the middle. As a rule they are 
all well formed, and are not as dark in color as the natives of 
the Canaries, I have already said, Your Most Serene High- 
nesses, (said the Admiral) that once these people understand 
our lang-uage they will be disposed to be very devout and 
religious and that in time, all will become Christians. I trust 
in the Lord, that Your Highnesses, will give the matter your 
consideration with all diligence, so that these great multitudes 
may turn to the church and become converted, as you have de- 
stroyed those who refused to recognize the Father, the Son 
and the Holy Ghost : that after your days are over, for we 
are all mortals, you will leave your kingdoms in a peaceful 
state, clear of all heresies and wickedness, and merit to be 
well received before the Eternal Creator, whom, may it please 
to give you long lives, and a large increase of kingdoms and 
possessions, and the will to advance the Holy Christian relig- 
ion as you have done until now. Amen. 

To-day I floated the ship once more,^^ and am preparing 
to set out on Thursday, in the name of God, and to steer S 

48 Theariobais twenty-five pounds. 

49 It had been beeched — undergoing repairs. 



64 

W., in search of gold and spices, and to discover new lands. 
These are all the words of the Admiral who calculated to sail 
on Thursday, but who was prevented from doing so by head 
winds until the twelfth day of November. 

Monday, November r2th. 
Sailed from the port and river de Mares at daybreak, and 
directed our course in search of an island which the Indians 
on board affirmed repeatedly was called habeqiie,^'^ where as 
they related by signs, the inhabitants collected gold at night 
by torch light upon the shore, and afterwards hammered it 
into bars. In order to reach this island they directed to steer 
east by south. Having sailed eight leagues along the coast 
they discovered a river and four leagues further onward, 
another, very large, exceeding in size all which they had 
seen. The Admiral was unwilling to remain, and put into 
either of them, for two reasons, the first and principal one, 
because the wind and weather were favorable to proceed to 
the above mentioned island of Habeque ; the other was, that 
were there any large towns near the sea, they might easily 
be discovered, but in case they were far up the river, they 
they could only be reached by ascending the stream in small 
vessels, which those of his fieet were not. A desire, there- 
fore, not to waste time, determined him not to explore these 
rivers, the last of which was surrounded with a well peopled 
country ; he named it Bio Del Sol.^^ He states that the Sunday 
previous, he had thought it would be well to take a few of 
the natives from the place where the ships lay, for the pur-: 
pose of carrying them to Spain, that they might acquire our 
language, and inform us what their country contained, be- 
sides becoming Christians and serving us at their return as 
interpreters, " for I have observed," says he, " that these peo- 
ple have no religion, neither are they idolaters, but are a very 
gentle race, without the knowledge of any iniquity ; they 
neither kill, nor steal, nor carry weapons, and are so timid 
that one of our men might put a hundred of them to flight, 

50 'I'his name was given by the natives, to the coast of the mainland, 
which they also called Bohio and L'firUdbd. 

51 Puerto del Padre. 



although they will readily sport and play tricks with them. 
They have a knowledge that there is a God above, and are 
firmly persuaded that we have come from heaven. They will 
quickly learn such prayers as we repeat to them, and also to 
make the sign of the cross. Your Highnesses should there- 
fore adopt the resolution of converting them to Christianity 
in which enterprise, I am of opinion that a very short space 
of time would suffice to gain to our Holy Faith multitudes of 
people, and to Spain great riches and immense dominions, 
with all their inhabitants ; there being, without doubt, in 
these countries vast quantities of gold, for the Indians would 
not without cause give us such descriptions of places where 
the inhabitants dug it fiom the earth, and wore it in massy 
bracelets at their necks, ears, legs, and arms. Here are also 
pearls and precious stones, and an infinite amount of spices. 
In the river de Mares, which I left last evening, there is un- 
doubtedly a great deal of mastic, and the quantity might be 
increased, for the trees transplanted, easily take root ; they 
are of a lofty size bearing leaves and fruit like the lentisk ; 
the tree, however is taller and has a larger leaf than the len- 
tisk as mentioned by Pliny, and as I have myself observed 
in the island of Scio in the Archipelago. I ordered many of 
these trees to be tapped in order to extract the resin, but as 
the weather was rainy all the time I was in the river, I was 
unable to procure more than a very small portion, which I 
have preserved for Your Highnesses. It is possible also that 
this is not the proper season for collecting it, which, it is likely, 
may be in the spring, when they begin to put forth their 
blossoms ; at present the fruit upon them is nearly ripe. 
Great quantities of cotton might be raised here, and sold, as 
I think, profitably, without being carried to Spain, but to the 
cities of the Great Khan, which we shall doubtless discover, as 
well as many others belonging to other sovereigns ; these 
may become a source of profit to Your Highnesses by trading 
thither with the productions of Spain and the other European 
countries. Here also is to be found abundance of aloe, which 
however is not a thing of very great value, but the mas- 
tic assuredly is being met with no where else except in the 



66 

before-mentioned island of Scio, where, if I remember rightly 
it is produced to the amount of fifty thousand ducats value in 
a year. The mouth of this river forms the best harbor I have 
yet seen, being- wide, deep and free from shoals, with a fine 
situation for a town and fortification where ships may lie 
close along the shore, the land high, with a good air and fine 
streams of water. Yesterday a canoe came to the ship with six 
young men, five of them came on board, whom I ordered to 
be detained, and have them with me ; I then sent ashore to one 
of the houses, and took seven women and three children this 
I did that the Indians might bear their captivity better with 
their company, for it has often happened that the Portuguese 
have carried the natives from Guinea to Portugal, for the 
purpose of learning their language, and when this was done, 
and they returned with them to Guinea, expecting by reason 
of the good treatment they had showed them, and the pre- 
sents they had given them, to find great benefit in their use, 
they have gone among their own people and never appeared 
more. Others have done differently, and by keeping 
their wives, have assured themselves of their possession. Be- 
sides, these women will be a great help to us in acquiring 
their language, which is the same throughout all these coun- 
tries, the inhabitants keeping up a communication among the 
islands by means of their canoes. This is not the case in 
Guinea, where there are a thousand different dialects, one 
tribe not understanding another. This evening came on 
board, the husband of one of the women, and father of the 
three children, which were a boy and two girls he entreated 
me to let him accompany them, which I very willingly grant- 
ed ; the natives whom I had taken from here, were all so 
delighted at this as to induce me to think them his relations. 
He is a person of about forty-five years of age. All this is 
in the exact words of the Admiral ; he also says that he 
found the weather somewhat cold, and being in the winter, 
thought it not advisable to prosecute his discoveries any fur- 
ther towards the north. •''^ This day, Monday, we sailed by 

52 From what he here relates, it appears that had he proceeded northerly 
he would undoubtedl}', in two days, have discovered Florida. Las Casas. 



«J7 



sunset eighteen leagues, east by south, to a cape which he 
named Cabo de Caba.^'^ 

Tuesday, November loth. 
All night beat up and down making no progress which 
was done for the purpose of examining a gap between two lofiy 
mountains which we had noticed at sunset, and which seemed 
to be a seperation between the land of Cuba and that of Bo- 
hio, this the Indian who accompanied us made known to us 
by signs. Daylight having arrived, the vessels headed for 
land and passed a point which in the night appeared to be 
two leagues away, and entered a large bay, five leagues to S 
S W., and there were five more to go before reachmg the 
cape where between two high mountains it forms a sort of 
cut water, and he was unable to determine whether it w^as an 
entrance to the sea or not. He was anxious to push forward 
to the island which the natives called Jiabeque, where he had 
information, as he understood it, that there was much gold, 
and which island was to the east. As he saw no large settle- 
ment, and in order to resist the rigor of the wind which was 
constantly increasing, he decided to put to sea, and steer east 
under a north wind, and sailed eight miles an hour, and from 
ten o'clock in the morning, when he took this tack, until sun- 
down he made fifty-five miles, which are fourteen leagues to 
the east from Cabo de Cuba. And from the other coast to 
leeward, beginning with the cape of the aforesaid gulf, he 
made as he thought, eighty miles, which are twenty leagues, 
and he ran along the entire coast E S E., and W N W. 

Wednesday, November 14th. 
Stood off and on during the night, not judging it safe to 
sail among the islands in the dark. The Indians informed 
them yesterday that the distance from Hio de Mares to the 
island of Babeqve was three days voyage, this of course, was 
to be understood of a voyage in their canoes, which go about 
seven leagues in a day. The wind was light, and though 
their direction was east, it would not allow them to steer 
within a point of this course, these, and other hindrances 

5b Punta de Mulas. 



('>S 



which are related kept them from making- any progress be- 
fore morning. At sunrise the Admiral, in consequence of 
the wind having shifted from N, to N E, determined to steer 
for the land, and seek a harbour, and in the event of not 
meeting with one, to return to that he last quitted. Having 
gone that night twenty-four miles east by south, he stood 
south for the land, and arriving near, saw many harbours, 
inlets, and islands ; the wind blowing strong with a high sea, 
he did not dare risk an entrance into either of them, but kept 
along the coast N W, by W. still looking out for a harbour : 
a great many were seen, but none of them appeared safe ; 
having gone in this manner sixty-four miles, they came to a 
very deep entrance, a quarter of a mile wide, with a river 
forming a good haven, '^ here they entered and found it spa 
cious and deep, containing so many islands that they could 
not be counted, these were of a good size and lofty, covered 
with palm and other trees of a thousand different sorts. The 
Admiral was struck with admiration at viewing so many 
islands of such a height, and declares to the King and Queen 
that he believes there are not higher mountains in the world 
than those which he saw along the coast, and among these 
islands, and that none equal them in beauty, they being without 
clouds or snow. At the feet of these mountains there is 
great depth of water. He states it as his opinion that these 
islands are the unnumerable ones which in the maps, are 
placed at the extremity of the east,^^ and says he believes 
they contain great riches, precious stones, and spicery, and 
extend far to the south, spreading out on each side. He 
named this place La Mar tie Nuestra Senora, and the harbour 
near the strait which is the entrance to these islands, he called 
Puerto del Principe of which he made no further survey than 
by viewing it from without, till he returned to it on the Sat- 
urday of the following week, as will afterwards appear. 

The Admiral dilates very much upon the fertility, beauty, 

54 Probably Puerto de Tanamo, in Cuba. 

55 In the maps of Martin de Behem, drawn up in 1492, and published 
by More and Cladera. a great multitude of islands are laid down at the 
eastern limit of India. 



and loftiness of these islands, and cautions the King and 
Queen not to be surprised at the great admiration he expres- 
ses, for as he assures them he does not represent a hundredth 
part of the truth. . Some of these mountains appeared to 
reach to the skies, and were shaped like the points of dia- 
monds, and others very lofty with table summits, A great 
depth of water was at their feet, so that the largest carrack^*"' 
might lie there. None of them were rocky, but all covered 
with wood. 

Thursday, November 15th. 
The Admiral went with the boats to visit the islands, of 
which he gives a wonderful description, and says he found 
mastic and great abundance of aloe. Some of the islands 
were cultivated with the roots which the Indians use in making 
their bread. Fire was found burning in several places, but 
they met with no fresh water. A few inhabitants were seen 
who fled. They found the water in depth from fifteen to 
sixteen fathoms, with a sandy bottom, and no rocks, a very 
desirable thing to mariners, as these last are very dangerous 
in cutting the cables. 

Friday, November lOth, 
They made it a practice in all those countries and islands, 
on going on shore, to set up and leave there, a cross. The 
Admiral went in the boat to the mouth of this port, and upon 
a point of land, found two large trunks of trees, of different 
sizes laid across each other in the shape of a cross, so exactly 
that he sa}S a carpenter could not have done the thing with 
more precision ; having paid their adoration to this, he order- 
ed that these trunks be taken and made into a large and lofty 
crucifix. Canes were found about the shore, but they could 
not discover where they grew. The Admiral thought they 
had floated down some river, and were washed ashore, and in 
this he was right. They entered a cove or inlet within the 
entrance of the port towards the south east ; here they 
found a rocky promontory with a very bold shore, where 
the largest carrack in the world might lie close to the 

56 A ship of the largest size. 



70 



land, with a recess or corner in which half a dozen ship's 
might lie without anchors as in a dock. This appeared to 
him a convenient situation for a fortress, in case these islands 
should ever become a great mart of trade. Returning to the 
ship, he found the Indians on board fishing for cockles, which 
are found of a large size in these seas. 

He made the crew dive here and search for button-shells 
which are the cockles in which pearls are found ; they suc- 
ceeded in obtaining many of them, but no pearls ; this he 
thought was owing to the season being unfit, and was of 
opinion that the proper time must be in May and June. The 
sailors found a creature which appeared like a taso. They 
fished with nets and took a fish among others resembling a 
hog, totally covered with a shell of exceeding hardness, be- 
ing soft nowhere except at the eyes and tail. The Admiral 
directed it to be preserved by salting, as a curiosity. 

Saturday, November 17th. 
The Admiral went on board the boat in the morning for 
the purpose of visiting the islands in the south west, which 
had not been surveyed. A great number were discovered 
very fertile, and of a beautiful appearance, with the water 
very deep among thenri ; in several of these, streams of fresh 
water were seen running down to the sea, which were thought 
to proceed from springs among the mountains. Proceeding 
onward, they came to a fine river of fresh water, which was 
found to be very cool ; here was also a delightful meadow, 
with great number of palm trees more lofty than any they 
had yet seen ; according to the Admiral's relation they found 
nutmegs here, and large Indian mice, also craw-fish of a large 
size. Great fiocks of birds were seen, and they smelled a pow- 
erful odor of musks, which article, they entertained no doubt, 
was to be met with in these parts. 

This day the two oldest of the Indians which had been 
taken at Jiio de Mares and sent on board the Nina made 
their escape. 



I 



Sunday, November 18th. 
The Admiral with many of the crew, went in the boats 
to land, for the purpose of setting up the cross which had 
been made from the logs before mentioned ; this was done at 
the entrance of Puerto del Prhicijje, where was selected a 
beautiful spot, clear of wood, for the situation ; it was a lofty 
elevation and afforded an enchanting prospect. He says 
that the sea here ebbs and flows much moie than at any 
other place he has visited in these countries ; this he thinks 
must be ascribed to the multitude of islands in the neighbor- 
hood. The tide, he informs us, is the reverse of what it is 
among us, for when the moon is S W, by S, it is low water 
in this port. Being Sunday they remained here through 
the day. 

Monday, November 19th. 

Set sail before sunrise, but met with a calm. At noon 
it began to blow a little from the east, and they steered N N 
E, at sunset Puerto de Principe bore S S W, seven leagues 
distant. They came in sight of the island of Baheque, which 
bore exactly east, at the distance of sixty miles. They sailed 
all night with a light wind, making a progress of sixty miles, 
and at ten o'clock the next day, they had completed a dozen 
more, which amounted to eighteen leagues in the direction 
of N E, by N. 

Tuesday, November 20th. 

The island or islands of Babeque bore E S E, from which 
quarter the wind blew, being of course ahead. Seeing no 
prospect of the winds shifting, and the sea being high, the 
Admiral resolved to put about and return to Vutrto del Prin- 
cipe, from whence they had last sailed, and which was distant 
twenty-five leagues. He was unwilling to proceed to the 
island he had named Isabela, which was about a dozen leagues 
off, and where he might have anchored that day, for two rea- 
sons, the one because he saw two islands to the south, which he 
wished to examine, the other because he feared that the 
Indians on board, which he had taken from San Salvador or 
Guanaliani as the natives called it, might effect their escape, 



as that island was only eight leagues distant from Isabela, 
this he was desirous to prevent, as he wished to carry them 
to Spain. The Indians as he informs us, were given to under- 
stand that in case the Spaniards met with gold they intended 
to set them at liberty. 

They arrived near Puetro dd Principe but were unable to 
enter, on account of the night, besides that the current car- 
ried them to the north west. They then put about and stood 
to the north east, under a strong breeze, which however, 
abated about the third watch of the night, when they steered 
east by north ; the wind had changed to S S E, and at dawn 
it shifted again to south. At sunrise they found Puerto del 
Principe to be nearly S W, by W, forty-eight miles or twelve 
leagues distant. 

Wednesday, November 21st. 
As soon as the sun had risen, they stood to the east with 
a southerly wind ; the currents being contrary, they made 
but little progress ; towards evening they had gone twenty- 
four miles, when the wind shifted to the east, and they steer- 
ed south by east, and by sunset sailed a dozen miles. Here 
the Admiral found their latitude to be twenty-one degrees 
north, as at Puerto de 3Jarex, but says he shall make no further 
use of liis quadrant, till he arrives on shore, where he shall 
repair it. It appeared to him that they were not in reality 
so far to the north, and in this opinion he was right. He was 
induced to think the quadrant was correct by observing that 
the north star appeared as high as in Castile, and if this was 
the fact, he must have been in as high a latitude as Florida, 
in this case what is the situation of the islands he had been 
mentioning ? Moreover he states that the heat was exces- 
sive, but it is clear that if he had been upon the coast 
of Florida he would not have found it hot, but cold, as it 
is manifest that in no part of the world is a great heat 
experienced in such a latitude except by some accidental 



73 

cause, and even this I believe has never been known. •^'^ 

This excessive heat which the Admiral says they suffered, 
indicates that in these Indies and in the parts where they 
were sailing there must be a great deal of gold. To-day 
Martin Alonzo Pinzon in the caravel Pinta, left the other 
ships, without leave of the Admiral, incited by his cupidity, 
upon the occasion of an Indian on board his vessel offering to 
direct him whither he might find much gold. Thus he aban- 
doned them without any excuse of necessity, or stress of 
weather, and the Admiral remarks, he has by language and 
actions, occasioned me many other troubles. 

57 It is not easy to understand these remarks of Las Casas. In this 
instance, as well as in the two preceding, where ihe latitude of places has 
been specified, it is given twenty-one degrees in the translation, although 
the statement of Columbus is /o?%-<//)t» : as the Spanish editor remarks in 
a note upon the first of these passages, that the quadrants in use at that 
time measured by double altitude, and by consequence forty-two degrees 
of the computation of Columbus are to be understood as half that number 
actual distance from the equator, it was thought proper to make the altera- 
tions above stated, especially as from a knowledge of the localities referred 
to, it appears that half the equatorial distance given in the original, is the 
true latitude of those places. From the observation, however, of Columbus, 
respecting the appearance of the polar star, one would be led to imagine 
that he supposed himself in reality as far north as forty-two degrees, and it 
would seem from what is observed by Las Casas — namely that in the lati- 
tude specified by the Admiral, the excessive heat which he mentions could 
not have existed, — that he understood the actual distance north to be as 
great as that expressed in the Journal : it would be surprising, if this were 
the fact, that Las Casas, who had made several voyages to America, should 
be totall}^ ignorant of the methods of nautical calculation. Besides, the 
notion that he believed the latitude mentioned, to be really what the num- 
bers express, is irreconcilable with his observation that their distances from 
the equator would have been in the parallel of Florida. Now this part of 
the continent was early discovered, and its true situation very well known 
when Las Casas wrote, so that no possibility exists of his supposing it to 
be so far north as forty-two degrees, and this writer himself remarks in a 
note which has already been given, that two days sail farther north from the 
coast of Cuba would have carried our navigator to that country. 

That the polar star could have been little more than half as high as it 
is seen in Spain, it is hardly necessary to observe. It does not appear how 
the statement of the Admiral respecting its appearance can be accounted for. 



Thuhsdav, N'ovemhkk !2*2d. 
Last night, sailed south by east, with an easterly wind, 
which, however, blew very little. At the third watch it began 
to blow from the N N E, they continued their course south- 
erly, to examine the land which they saw in that quarter, and 
at sunrise found themselves as far distant from it as they 
were the day before, by reason of the contrary currents; the 
land was forty miles distant. Martin Alonzo steered to the 
east for the island of Baheque where the Indians told him 
there was much gold; he was in sight of the Admiral, about 
sixteen miles off. All night the Admiral stood towards the 
land, having taken in some of the sails, and carrying a light, 
as he thought the Pinta was steering towards him. The night 
was clear, and there was a fine breeze which might have en- 
abled her to come up, had her commander been so disposed. 

Friday, November 23d. 

Kept on their course south towards the land with a 
light wind; the current set so strong against them, that they 
made no progress ahead, but found themselves at sunset, 
where they had been in the morning. The wind was E N E, 
and favorable for sailing to the south, except that it was 
light. Beyond the cape which they saw before them, extend- 
ed out another headland towards the east, which the Indians 
on board called Holdo, and said it was very large, and con- 
tained inhabitants with one eye in their foreheads and others 
which they called Canibales, and spoke of them with many 
marks of fear. As soon as they saw the ships were taking that 
course they were struck with terror, and signified that the 
people went armed, and would devour them. The Admiral 
declares that he believes there is some truth in their repre- 
sentations, but thinks that these people described as pos- 
sessing arms, must be a race of some sagacity, and that 
having made prisoners of some of the other Indians, their 
friends not findmg them to return, concluded they had 
eaten them. 

This, in fact, was the opinion entertained of the Spaniards 
by some of the natives at their first arrival. 



Saturday, November 24th, 

Sailed all night, and at three o'clock in the morning, 
arrived at a low flat island, being the same which they had 
visited the week before in their voyage to the island of 
Babeque. 

At first the Admiral was unwilling to approach the shore, 
as it appeared to him that the sea rendered it unsafe. At 
. length he proceeded to the gulf which he had named La Mar de 
Nuestra Senora, where the multitude of islands was discovered. 
Here he entered the harbour which is situated at the entrance 
of the strait. He says, that had he before known of the exis- 
tence of this harbour, and had not occupied himself with 
visiting the islands in the gulf, he should not have found it 
necessary to put back, although he looked upon the time as 
well bestowed in exploring the islands. Arrived at the land, 
he despatched the boat and sounded the harbour, the entrance 
was found from six to twenty fathoms deep, with a fine sandy 
bottom. He then sailed tip the harbour with the ships, steer- 
ing southwest and afterwards west, the low island above 
mentioned bearing northerly and forming with another island 
a port sufficient to contain all the ships in Spain, where they 
might lie without mooring perfectly safe from all winds. The 
entrance here is from the southeast, and there is an outlet 
towards the west, very broad and deep, so that these islands 
may be sailed between, and examined by any one coming from 
the north. They are at the foot of a high mountain which 
extends a considerable distance from east to west, and is the 
longest and most lofty among the infinite number which are 
to be found upon this coast. A ridge of rock runs along at 
the foot of the mountain towards the entrance of the strait. 
Toward the southeast, and in the direction of the low island, 
there is another reef; but small; between them the water is 
very deep and the passage wide, as is before remarked. 
Within the entrance at the southeast, they discovered a river 
very fair and wide, and of greater volume than any they had 
yet seen. 

The water was fresh quite to the sea. It had a bar at its 
mouth, but a good depth of eight or nine fathoms inside. 



70 



The land here, as elsewhere, was totally covered with palm 
and other trees. 

Sunday, November 25th. 

Before sunrise the Admiral went in the boat to view a 
cape or point of land to the southeast of the low island, about 
a league and a half distant, as it appeared to him there was 
in that quarter some convenient river. About two bow shots 
from the cape to the southeast,' he discovered a fine stream 
running dow^n a mountain with loud murmurs. He proceed- 
ed towards it, and found in the stream certain stones which 
shone with spots of a golden hue; recollecting that gold was 
found in the river Tagus near the sea, he entertained no doubt 
that this was the metal, and directed that a collection of these 
stones should be made to carry to the King and Queen. 
While they were about this, the ship-boys cried out that they 
saw pine trees; the Admiral looked towards the mountain, and 
discovered pines of such loftiness and admirable shape, that 
he found it impossible to e xag gerate in the description of them, 
their trunks being tall and straight to a marvel. Here, he 
perceived that there might be procured masts, plank and 
every i-uch material for building the largest ships. Here 
were also oak and strawberry-trees, a convenient stream and 
good site for saw-mills; the land was high, and the air the 
most agreeable they had yet met with. 

Many stones of a ferruginous colour were found along the 
shore, and others which some of the men said came out of 
silver mines, all these were brought down by the stream. 
They procured from the forest, a yard and mizzen-mast for 
the caravel Nina. Proceeding to the mouth of the river, 
they put into a bay at the foot of the cape at the southeast, 
which they foimd spacious and deep, and capable of contain- 
ing a hundred ships without anchors or moorings; a finer port 
than this they had never seen. 

The mountains were remarked very lofty, with many fine 
streams running down their sides; all were covered with 
forests of pines and other beautiful trees. Two or three 
other rivers were seen. The whole he describes to the King 



77 

and Queen with great euthusiasm: the pines especially, it 
gave him inexpressible joy to behold, as they afforded the 
means of building any desirable number of ships. He cannot 
represent, as he affirms, the hundredth part of what he saw, 
and declares that it pleased our Lord to go on discovering to 
him, things more and more valuable; and in all that had been 
met with, the countries, their productions and inhabitants, 
things had grown better and better. He adds that himself 
who saw these wonders, bemg struck with such admiration, 
much greater must be caused in one who only hears of them; 
and that none would believe the accounts of these things, 
unless they saw them. 

Monday, Novkmber 26th. 

At sunrise they weighed anchor, and set sail from the 
harbour oi Santa Catalma within the low island; they pro- 
ceeded along the coast with a light breeze from the southwest 
towards Cabo del Pico at the southeast, and arrived at the 
cape late in the afternoon, the wind having died away; they 
espied in the direction of southeast by east, another cape 
about sixty miles distant; nearer the ship was a third, which 
bore southeast by south, apparently twenty miles distant, this 
the Admiral named Cabo de Campaua, they could not reach 
it before night, as the wind failed them. They sailed this 
day thirty-two miles, which are eight leagues, in this course 
they saw and marked down nine very remarkable harbours, 
which the mariners affirmed to be excellent, also five large 
rivers were seen, the ships keeping close along the coast for 
the purpose of making a full survey. All this country 
abounds in very high mountains, very beautiful, neither dry 
nor rocky but all accessible; and there were most beautiful 
valleys too. And these valleys like the mountains were cov- 
ered with lofty green trees, which were a delight to the eye, 
and which looked like groves of pines. Back of the afore- 
said Cabo del Pico, to the S E, are two islands each about two 
leagues in circumference and within them two wonderful 
harbours and two large rivers. No signs of habitations were 
visible from the sea, on either of these islands; they may 



78 

have been inhabited, however, and evidences of it were seen, for 
whenever we landed we saw traces of people and many ovens 
or fire places. I calculated that the land seen to-day to the S 
E, of the Cabo de IJampana was an island which the Indians 
called Bohio; it would seem so, as the said cape is separated 
from the land. All the people we have met up to this time 
expressed the greatest fear of the inhabitants of Caniba or 
Canima, and they are said to dwell on this island of Bohio; 
this fear must be very great, and our Indians imagine that 
they will take their lands and houses from them, as our Indians 
are very timid and have no knowledge of warfare; for this 
reason the Admiral thinks they are not accustomed to settle 
near the coast because of its vicinity to these hostile people. 
No sooner did they see the Admiral standing for this island 
than they seemed speechless with terror and were afraid that 
the Caribs would eat them. They insisted that these people 
had but one eye and had heads like dogs. The Admiral 
thought they exaggerated, and that these terrible people be- 
longed to the Grand Khan, 

Tuesday, November 27th. 
Yesterday we approached a cape which I called (Jampana 
and because the sky was clear and the wind light, I did not 
care to go near the coast to anchor, although there were five 
or six harbors available and beautiful in the extreme. The 
Admiral delayed longer than he intended because of the crav- 
ing and delight he experienced in admiring the beauty and 
freshness of these lands he was visiting. It was his purpose 
to push forward and attain his object. For this reason he 
stood off all night and tacked about until morning. During 
the night the tides and currents carried him five or six lea- 
gues to S E, of where he was at nightfall and where he first 
came in sight of the land of (Juni2)aiia. Beyond that cape was 
a large entrance which appeared to separate one body of land 
from the other and it seemed like a cape between them. He 
resolved to turn back with the S W, wind and he arrived at 
what he thought was the entrance, but he found it was really 
a large Bay, ^^ at the extremity of which was another cape on 
58 1 1 was the port of Barticoa. 



which there was a mountain ^ ^ to the S E. This mountain 
was high and square and looked like an island. A north wind 
sprung up and he stood S E, with the object of sailing along 
the coast and finding what he might. Later on he saw at the 
foot of the Cabo de Cmnpana a delightful harbor^" and a large 
river, and a quarter of a league further on another river, and 
a half a league beyond that still another, and beyond this for 
a distance of some leagues S E, from Cabo de Canipuna the 
Admiral encountered quite a number of rivers. Most of 
these rivers had broad entrances clear from rocks and won- 
derful harbors suitable for the largest vessels. Sailing thus 
along the coast, to the S E, from the last of said rivers, the 
Admiral came upon quite a large settlement {Bnracoa), the 
largest he had yet seen, and he saw a large number of natives 
who came to the shore with loud shouts, all entirely naked, 
and carrying canoes. He was anxious to communicate with 
them, so he took in sail and anchored, and sent the boats of 
the ship and of the caravels ashore with orders not to injure 
the Indians and to make them some presents. The Indians 
made some show of preventing their landing and of opposi- 
tion, and seeing that the boats contmued to approach the 
shore, and that they were not afraid, they withdrew from the 
shore. The men in the boats thought there would be no dan- 
ger in landing, two or three Christians called to the Indians not 
to be afraid, the Spaniards having learned somethmgof their 
language from the Indians they had on board; but the natives 
on the shore took to flight, and not one, great or small remained 
in sight. The three Spaniards went to their houses, and found 
them made of straw and constructed just like those they had 
seen elsewhere on these islands, but they found no one nor 
anything in any of them. They returned to the ships and 
hoisted sail, at noon, to proceed to a beautiful cape {Maisi,) 
which lay to the east some eight leagues distant. The Ad- 
miral had not gone more than half a league when he discov- 
ered to the southward a most singular harbor (Ma^ of Baracoa) 
and to the S E, some beautiful and wonderful islands, and a 

59 Mount Yuiique. 

60 The harbor of Maravi. 



80 



rocky plain between these mountains, and there appeared to 
be much smoke and many villages in it, and the fields were well 
cultivated. This led the Admiral to land at this port and try 
to have some communication with its people. The fact was 
that if the Admiral had praised and admired other ports, 
this one exceeded anything he had ever seen for beauty of 
scenery, the mildness of its climate and the surroundings of 
the habitations. He speaks with delight of the beauty of 
country, and of the trees prominent among which are pines 
and palms. ^1 After coming to anchor the Admiral entered 
his launch to sound the harbor, and when he went south of 
the mouth he came to a river tTie mouth of which was just 
broad enough to admit a galley, and so constructed as not to 
be perceptible imtil he had come quite upon it. After mak- 
ing a ship's length into it he found it to be five fathoms broad 
and eight deep. Sailing along its banks it was wonderful to see 
the groves, and fresh vegetation, its crystal springs, the variety 
of birds, and the scenery which made one wish never to leave 
the place. He told those who were with him that to give an 
adequate description to his Sovereigns of the things they saw 
would require more than a thousand leagues of paper and 
his hand would be powerless to write it; it seemed to be a 
land of enchantment. He wished that it might be seen by 
many other prudent and reliable people whom he was sure 
would be as delighted with the country as he was. The Ad- 
miral here speaks as follows: "I shall not to write the bene- 
fits that may be derived from this place. It is most certain, 
my Sovereigns, that where such lands exist there must be 
untold profits; but, I do not delay at any port, because I am 
anxious to see all the lands I can, so as to be able to tell Your 
Highnesses about them. I do not know the language of 
these people, and they neither understand me nor any one 
with me; while the Indians I have on board with me I very 
often understand to say one thing when they mean the oppo- 
site;6 2 nor do I trust them too far as they have made various 

61 Las Casas says tliat the soil is al\va3'S verj' fertile where loft}' 
palms abound. 

63 From this misunderstanding result many erroneous application 
of names. 



SI 

attempts to escape. But now please the Lord, I shall see all 
I can, and 1 shall have this language learned by the peo- 
ple of my household, because I noticed that there is but one 
language throughout all these lands. Then we shall learn 
all the advantages and shall labor to make all these people 
Christians, because this can be done quickly, as they have no 
religion, nor are they idolaters; and Your Highnesses will 
command the erection, in these parts of a town and a fortress 
and these regions will become converted. I can certify to 
Your Highnesses that there can be no better or more fertile 
regions under the sun, whether as to climate or to the abun- 
dance of good and healthy water, so unlike the rivers of Guinea 
which are pestilential; and I praise the good Lord, that up 
to this time there has not one of my crew who has had so 
much as a headache, nor been in bed through sickness, save 
one old man who has been all his life a chronic sufferer, and 
who was only confined for two days. This applies to all three 
of my vessels. Thus, if it shall please God that Your High- 
nesses send here wise and learned men they will see the truth 
of all I say. And, if I have already spoken of a place for- a 
town and fortress on the Rio de Mares, on account of the good 
harbor •'^ and of the neighborhood, it is certain that all I 
have said is true; but there is no comparison between that 
place and this, nor with La Mar de Nuestra Senora, because 
here, there must be large towns inland with a numerous pop- 
ulation, and productions of great value, because here and 
throughout all I have discovered and which I hope to discover 
before returning to Castile, I say that Christianity will gain 
much, as well as Castile to which all must be subjected. And 
I say that Your Highnesses should not consent to permit any 
strangers or foreigners to set foot here, except Catholic Chris- 
tians, for this was the beginning and the end of the purpose 
which looked to the increase and glory of the Christian religion ; 
and that no one not a Christian should visit these parts." All 
these are his own words. He sailed up the river and discovered 
several branches of it; and in cruising around the harbor, he 
found at the mouth of the river beautiful groves that appear- 
63 The port of Nuevitas. 



82 

ed like a delightful garden; he also came across a canoe made 
of a trunk that was as long as a twelve seated boat. It was 
very pretty, and covered by an sort of awning made of bark 
and palm leaves; so that neither sun nor water could pene- 
trate into it; and he adds that this would be a very suitable 
place for a town and fort because of its splendid harbor, its 
good water, fertile land, agreeable surroundings and the 
abundance of wood. 

Wednesday, November 28th. 

They remained in port all day on account of the rain, 
although the wind blowing from the S W, they might have 
sailed along the coast. But as the thickness of the weather 
would have hindered the view of the land, the Admiral thought 
best to remain, especially considering the danger in not be- 
ing acquainted with the coast. The crews went on shore to 
wash their clothes, and some of them went a distance into the 
country; they found large villages with the houses empty, 
the natives having fled. 

They discovered another river, larger than that at the 
harbour. 

Thursday, November 29th. 

As it continued to rain and the sky was completely cov- 
ered with clouds, they did not set sail. Some of the Span- 
iards went to visit a town towards the N W, and found in the 
houses neither inhabitants nor furniture. On the way 
they met with an old man who was unable to escape, him 
they took, assuring him of their friendly disposition, and after 
presenting him with some trifles allowed him to depart. The 
Admiral was desirous of seeing him in order that he might 
give hmi some clothes, and have some conversation with him, 
for he was much delighted with the country and judged it to 
be very populous. 

They fotmd a cake of wax''* in one of the houses, which 

they preserved for the King and Queen, and the Admiral 

was of opinion that where wax was found there must be a 

great many other valuable commodities. 

64 This wax was brought from Yucatan, and for that reason I believe 
this land to be Cuba. Las Ca^an. 



83 

In one of the houses was likewise found a man's head 
hanging from a beam in a small covered basket; the like they 
found in a house in one of the other villages. The Admiral 
thought these were the heads of the principal men, as the 
houses in which tney were met with were of a very large size, 
and that the persons to whom they belonged were relations. 

Friday, November SOth. 

They could not put to sea, the wind being from the E, 
and contrary. The Admiral sent eight men armed, with two 
of the Indians on board, to explore the country, and obtain 
some communication with the inhabitants. They came to 
iT\any houses without finding within them, person or thing, 
the inhabitants having fled. At length they discovered four 
young men digging in the fields, who perceiving the Spaniards 
took to flight, and could not be overtaken. 

They traveled a considerable distance and saw a great 
many villages; the land was very fertile and the whole under 
cultivation. Large streams of water were seen, and in the 
neighborhood of one, they saw a canoe very finely built of a 
single log, it was ninety-five spans in length, and capable of 
carrying a hundred and fifty men. 

Saturday, December 1st. 
They remained still in port, the wind continuing ahead 
with rain in abundance. At the entrance of this harbour, 
which was named Pue7\o Santo, "^ they set up a cross in the 
solid rock; the point where this was done, is in the southern 
part near the mouth, and whoever wishes to sail into the port, 
should keep near the northwesterly point rather than the 
other, the depth at the foot of each being twelve fathoms 
close to the shore, and free from obstructions; but at the en- 
trance of the harbour near the southeasterly point there is 
a shoal which rises above the water, and so far from the shore 
that a vessel may pass between the point and it, in case of 
necessity. Round about the shoal and the point there is a 
depth of twelve and fifteen fathoms. Coming in, it is requi- 
site to steer S W. 

65 Tliis is Baracoa. 



84 

Sunday, December 2d, 

The wind still contrary, they could not depart, although 
every night there blew a land breeze. 

The Admiral states that there would be no danger of 
driving ashore in this harbour, in the most violent storms, by 
reason of the shoal at the entrance. In the niouth of the 
river a ship's boy found some stones which seemed to contain 
gold, these were preserved for the King and Queen. A lom- 
barda shot from this place were large rivers. 

Monday, December 3d. 

Still detained in port by the weather. The Admiral re- 
solved to visit a fine cape which he saw a mile distant from 
the harbour, at the S E. He accordingly went with the boats 
and some of the crew armed. At the foot of the cape 
he found the mouth of a pleasant river ;^^ they rowed to 
the S E, to enter it, and found it a hundred paces wide: the 
depth at the mouth was a fathom, but within increased to 
twelve, and there was room enough for all the ships in Spain. 
Passing a branch of the stream, they proceeded to the S E, 
and came to a creek or cove, in which they saw five large 
canoes, very handsomely wrought, like Justus. 

At the foot of the land they found the land all under cul- 
tivation. The woods were very thick, and in passing through 
them, they came to a shed very well built and tightly covered, 
so that neither sun nor rain could penetrate it: under it ihey 
found a canoe made like the others, from a log, as large as a 
fusta of sixteen oars, it was well shaped, and very handsomely 
carved. They ascended a mountain and observed the coun- 
try very level. Many productions were observed such as 
gourds, and the like, and the fields offered a delightful pros- 
pect. They came suddenly upon a large town and all the 
inhabitants upon perceiving them immediately fled. The 
Indians who accompanied the Spaniards called out to them 
not to fear, for they were friends. The Admiral caused them 
to be presented with hawks' bells, brass rings and strings of 

66 Rio BoDia. 



85 

green and yellow glass beads, with the which they were 
highly delighted. Having ascertained that they possessed 
no gold nor any precious commodity, the Spaniards returned 
to their boats. The country was found very populous, but 
the most of the inhabitants fled through fear. The Admiral 
declares to the King and Queen that these people are such 
cowards that ten men might put ten thousand of them to 
flight. They carry no weapons save sticks with the ends a 
little hardened in the fire, these were very easily obtained 
from them. Arrived at the boats, two men were sent off to a 
place where the Admiral thought he had seen a large bee- 
hive. Before their return, many Indians came to the boats 
where the Admiral was with his crew, and one of them jump- 
ed into the river and came to the stern of the Admiral's boat 
where he made a long speech, nothing of which was under- 
stood, except that the other Indians held up their hands to 
heaven from time to time, and uttered loud cries. 

The Admiral was of opinion that they were assuring him 
of the pleasure which his arrival gave them, but presently 
observed that the Indians on board changed colour and 
trembled exceedingly, entreating the Admiral by signs to 
leave the river, for the natives were about to kill them all. 

He then took a cross-bow from one of the Spaniards and 
held it out towards the Indian, and uttered a speech which 
the Admiral understood to be a menace of hostility against 
them. He also seized a sword, and drawing it from the scab- 
bard showed it to them, using the same language, which 
bemg heard by those on shore they all took to flight. The 
Indian continued trembling and overpowered with fear, al- 
though a stout well made fellow. 

The Admiral determined not to leave the river, but 
rowed for the shore towards a place where he saw many 
people, all of them naked and stained red, some with tufts 
of feathers on their heads, and all having javelins. 

" I approached them says he, and gave them some pieces 
of bread, demanding their javelins, which they gave me for a 
hawks' bell to one, a little brass ring to another and a few 
beads to another. In this manner they were all pacified, and 



80 



came to the boats offering their articles for anything we chose 
to give them in return. A turtle had been killed, and the 
shell lay in pieces in the boat; the ship-boys purchased jave- 
lins of the Indians with it, at the rate of a handfull of them for 
a scale. These people are like the others I have seen, and 
imagine we have come froin heaven. They are ready to bar- 
ter anything they possess for whatever we choose to give 
them, without objecting to the small value of it; and if they had 
species of gold, I believe it would be the same. I saw here a 
handsome house of a moderate size, with two doors as all the 
others are; I entered it and found a very singular contrivance 
in the manner of aloes, which I cannot describe; from the 
ceiling hung cockle shells and other things. I took it to be a 
temple, and called the Indians, demanding of them by signs, 
whether they offered up their devotions there, to which they 
replied in the negative, and one of them climbed up and gave 
me the ornaments which were hanging about; some of them 
I accepted. 

Tuesday, December 4th. 

They set sail with a light wind, and left this harbour, 
which received the name of Puerto Santa. 

At two leagues distance they saw a fine river, mentioned 
yesterday.**'' Kept along the coast, and found it after having 
passed a cape, to run E S E, and W N W, to a cape which 
they named Cabo Lindo:^^ this is five leagues E by S, from 
another called Caho del Monte, and a league and a half from 
ihe last is a river somewhat narrow, which appears to have a 
safe and deep entrance. Three miles from that, they saw 
another river, very large and which to appearance came from 
a distance, it was about a hundred paces wide, and eight 
fathoms deep, with a good entrance free from shoals; the 
water was fresh to the sea; these facts were learned by des- 
patching a boat to sound and examine it: the river appeared 
to bring as great a volume of water to the sea, as any they 
had seen, and probably had many towns on its banks. Be- 
yond (Jaho Lhido there was a bay of considerable extent. 

67 Rio Boma. 

68 This is La Punta del FVaile. 



87 

Wednesday, December 5th. 
All last night they lay to off Cabo Lhido, in order to ex- 
amine the land which extended to the east, and at sunrise 
discovered another cape^^ in that direction, two leagues and 
a half distant, which having passed, they found the coast 
began to tend toward the south and southwest and pre- 
sently discovered a lofty and handsome cape in that direction 
about seven leagues from the last. The Admiral was in- 
clined to steer that way, but his desire to visit the island of 
Babeque, which according to the Indians was to the southeast, 
restrained him. The wind, however, blowing from the north- 
east hindered him from steering that way, proceeding on- 
ward, therefore, he descried land in the southeast which 
appeared to be quite a large island, and according to the in- 
formation of the Indians was very populous, and called Hohio. 
The inhabitants of Cuba or Juana^ and those of the other 
islands entertained a great dread of these people, imagining 
them to be man-eaters. Other surprising relations the Indians 
communicated by signs to the Spaniards, of which the Ad- 
miral does not avow his belief, but thinks the Indians of 
Bohio to be a more ingenious and artful race than the others, 
as they were accustomed to make prisoners of them. The 
wind being northeast and inclining toward the north he de- 
termined to leave Cuba or Juana, which hitherto he had taken 
for a continent by its size, having sailed along the coast a 
hundred and twenty leagues. He therefore left the shore and 
steered southeast by east, as the land last discovered appear- 
ed m that direction. He took this course because the wind 
always came round from the north to northeast, and from 
thence to east and southeast. It blew hard and they carried 
all sail, having a smooth sea, and a current favoring them, so 
that from morning to one o'clock in the afternoon they sailed 
eight miles an hour, for nearly six hours; the nights are 
stated to be here nearly fifteen hours long. After this they 
went ten miles an hour, and by sunset had made progress of 
eighty-eight miles, which are twenty-two leagues, all to the 
southeast. As night was coming on the caravel Niiia, being 
69 Punta de los Azules. 



S8 



a swift sailer, was despatched ahead to look out for a harbor, 
she came to the mouth of one^" which resembled the bay of 
Cadiz, and it being dark, they send the boat to sound it; the 
boat carried a light, and before the Admiral could come up 
with the Niiia, which was beating up and down, waiting for the 
boat to make her a signal to enter, the light disappeared. 
Upon this she stood off to sea, making a light for the AdmiraL 
and coming up they related what had happened. Presently 
the light on board the boat again appeared, when the Niila 
stood in for the land; the Admiral was not able to follow, but 
remained beating about all night. 

Thursday, December Gth. 

At day break he found himself four leagues from the 
harbour, which he named Puerto Marin, and saw a fine cape 
which bore south by west; to this he gave the name of ('<iho 
del Estrella, it was twenty-eight miles distant, and appear- 
ed to be the southern extremity of the island. There appeared 
land in the east like an island of a moderate size, about forty 
miles distant. Another handsome and finely shaped headland 
was seen bearing east by south at a distance of fifty-four 
miles, this he called Cabo del Elefantc. Another bore east, 
southeast, twenty-eight miles off, which he named Vaho de 
Cinqidn. A large opening or bay which seemed to be a 
river was observed about twenty miles distant in the dir- 
ection of southeast by east. 

There appeared to be between the two last mentioned 
capes a very wide channel which the sailors said separated 
an island from the mainland; this island he named Tortuga, 

The land here appeared lofty, and not mountainous but 
even and level like the finest arable tracts. The whole or 
great part of it seemed under cultivation, and the plantations 
resembled the wheat fields in the plain of Cordova in the 
month of May. Many fires were seen during the night, and 
by day, a great number of smokes, which to appearance were 
signals giving notice of some people with whom they were at 
war. The whole coast runs to the east. In the evening the 
Admiral entered the above mentioned harbor, which he 
70 Port of the Mole S. Nicolas on the island of Hispaniola. 



89 

named Puerto de San, Nicolas^ it being the day of that saint; 
he was astonished on entering, to observe the goodness and 
beauty of the harbour, and although he had highly praised 
the ports of Cuba, he declares that this is not inferior to any 
of them, but rather exceeds and differs from them all. The 
entrance has a width of a league and a half, where a vessel 
should steer S S E, there being sufficient room to steer in any 
direction. It extends in this manner to the S S E, two 
leagues. Here is a fme beach with a river, and trees of a 
thousand sorts all loaded with fruit, which the Admiral took 
for spices and nutmegs, but being unripe he could not get 
any knowledge of them. 

The water in this harbor is of a surprising depth, they 
not being able to reach bottom at a short distance from the 
shore with a line of forty fathoms; in other parts they found 
fifteen fathoms, and a clear bottom; not a shoal is to be seen 
throughout the harbour, and the shore is so bold that an oar's 
length from it the water is five fathoms deep. Here is room 
sufficient for a thousand carracks to sail about in. At the S 
S E, the harbour offers a recess opening towards the N E, of 
about half a league in depth, and preserving the same breadth 
throughout its whole extent. This is shut in after such a 
manner that within it the main entrance of the harbour 
cannot be seen. 

The depth of the water is every where eleven fathoms; 
with a fine clear sand at the bottom; the shore is bold having 
eight fathoms of water within a few feet distance. Here is a 
fine dry air, and the shore around free from wood. 

The land appeared the most rocky of any they had 
seen; the trees small, and many similar to those of Spain, 
as evergreen oaks, and strawberry trees. Since they had 
been m this part of the world, they had not experienc- 
ed so cool a temperature of the air as they found at this 
place. A beautiful plain lay opposite the entrance of the 
harbour, through the midst of which flowed the river men- 
tioned above. The neighborhood, the Admiral thought to be 
extremely populous, from the number and size of the canoes 
which were seen; some of them were as large as a fusta of 



90 

fifteen oars. The Indians all took to flight on perceiving the 
ships. Those whom the Spaniards had on board grew so 
earnest to return to their homes that the Admiral says he had 
some intention of carrying them thither at his departure 
from this place, and that they were mistrustful of him for 
not taking his route that way. For this reason he declares 
that he put no trust in any of their representations, nor they 
in his. They appeared to have the greatest fear imaginable 
for the people of this island. The Admiral found that if he 
wished to obtain any communication with those on shore, it 
would be necessary to wait here some days, which he was 
unwilling to do, as he could not depend upon the weather, 
and wished to make further discoveries. He hoped in our 
Lord that he should be able through the medium of the 
Indians on board, to have some conversation with them upon 
his return; and may it please the Almighty, says he that I 
may find some good trafBc in gold before that time. 

Friday, December 7th. 

At day-break, they set sail and left the port of San Ni- 
colas with a southwesterly wind, and stood on their course 
two leagues to the N E, towards a cape which forms the car- 
enero, where a bay was seen to the S E, and Cabo de la 
Estrella to the S W, twenty-four miles distant. From thence 
they proceeded to the east, along the coast, about forty-eight 
miles to Caho Cinquin, twenty miles of which course they had 
gone E by N. They found the land high and the water deep, 
close to the shore twenty and thirty fathoms, and a lombarda 
shot distant, no bottom; all which was proved by actual ex- 
periment of the Admiral through the day. He remarks that 
if the space between the bay above mentioned and the har- 
bour of San Nicolas were cut through, it would form an island 
of three or four miles in circuit. The land, as before, very 
high and a tree not large but like evergreen oaks and straw- 
berry trees, the country closely resembling Castile. Two 
leagues before arriving at Cabo Cinquiu, they discovered an 
opening like a gap in the mountain within which was seen 
a very large valley, covered apparently with barley, a sign 



91 

that this valley abounded with settlements; at the back of it 
were lofty and extensive mountains. Arrived at Cabo de 
Cinquin they found Cuho de Tortuga to bear N E, thirty-two 
miles distant. 

About a lombarda shot from Cabo de Cin<pmi, there is a 
rock rising above the water, very easily noticed. At this 
place Cabo del Elefante bore E by S, seventy miles distant, the 
land all very lofty. Six leagues further onward was a bay 
within which they discovered extensive valleys and fields, 
with very high mountains, the whole country appearing like 
Castile. At eight miles distance they found a river, which 
was narrow although deep, and might easily admit a carrack, 
the mouth without banks or shallows. Sixteen miles further 
along they came to a harbour, both broad and of such a 
depth that no bottom was obtained at the entrance, and the 
water was fifteen fathoms deep a few feet from the shore; it 
extended about a mile into the land. As the sky was very 
cloudy and threatened rain, an unfavourable state upon a 
coast, especially a strange one, the Admiral determined to 
put in here, although it was no later in the day than one 
o'clock, and a strong wind blew astern. This harbour he named 
Paerto de la Coneepcion, and entering, landed near a small 
stream which flowed through fields and plains of wonderful 
beauty. They carried nets with them for fishing, and while 
rowing to the land, a skate similar to those of Spain, leaped 
into the boat; this was the first instance of their meeting with 
a fish which resembled those of their own country. Many of 
these were taken by the sailors, as well as soles, and other 
fish like the Spanish. Going some distance round the country 
they observed the soil all under cultivation, and heard the 
song of the nightingale and many other Spanish birds. 

They met five Indians who immediately fled. 

A myrtle tree was seen, and other trees and plants like 
those of Castile, which, in fact, the whole country resembles. 

Saturday, December 8th. 
It rained very hard, with a strong north wind. The har- 
bour was found secure from all winds except the north, which 



92 

caused a great surf, driving the vessels from their moorings. 
At midnight the wind shifted to the N E, and afterward to 
the E, from which quarter the harbour is well sheltered by 
the island of Tortuga, which lies off against it, thirty-six 
miles distant.'" 

Sunday, December 9th. 

This day it continued to rain and the weather seemed 
wintry like October in Castile. 

No settlement except a single house was seen at the port 
of St Nicolas; this was a handsome one, and better construct- 
ed than those they had observed in other parts. This is a 
very large island, says the Admiral, and will undoubtedly 
measure two hundred leagues in circuit; the land is all culti- 
vated to a high degree, and the towns are probably at a 
distance back in the country, the inhabitants fleeing at the 
approiich of the strangers, carrying their property with them, 
and making signals by smoke about the country, as in a 
state of war. 

The harbour here is about a thousand paces or quarter 
of a league wide at the mouth, without either bank or shoal, 
but exceedingly deep to the edge of the shore; it extends 
within about three thousand paces, with a fine clear bottom; 
any ship may enter it and anchor without the least hazard. 
Here are two small streams, and opposite the mouth of the 
harbour, several plains the most beautiful in the world, and 
resembling those of Castile, except that they surpass them. 
On this account the Admiral named the island, JUsjxiniola. 

Monday, December 10th. 

The wind blew strong from the N E, and they dragged 
their anchors with half the length of the cable, at which the 
Admiral wondered, and ordered the cables to be veered out. 

Perceiving that the weather was unfavorable for his set- 
ting sail, he despatched on shore six men, well armed, and 
equipped, for the purpose of penetrating into the coimtry 
and obtaining some communication with the natives. 

71 The distance is only eleven miles. 



93 

They went and returned without seeing any of the inhab- 
itants, or any dwellings save a few huts. They met with 
some narrow paths, and places where fires had been made. 
The country appeared the finest in the world, and they found 
mastic trees in abundance, but this was not the season for 
collecting it, as the gum does not concT'ete. 

Tuesday, December 11th. 

The wmd blowing E, and N E, they did not set sail. Dir- 
ectly opposite the harbour as stated above, lies the island of 
Tortuga; this appears of a very large size, and the coast runs 
in the same direction as the island of Espanola, the distance 
between them being at the most, ten leagues, ''^ that is to say 
from Cabo de Cinqinn, to the extremity of Tortuga, after 
which the coast tends to the south. The Admiral was desir- 
ous of proceeding along the channel between these two islands, 
in order to take a survey of Espanola, which affords the finest 
view in the world. The Indians also informed him that this 
was the course he must take to reach the island of Baheque 
which they described as very large, with rivers, valleys, and 
lofty mountains. The island of Bohio, they stated, was lar- 
ger than that of Juana, which the inhabitants called Cuba, 
and was not surrounded by water, but as nearly as could be 
understood from them, was a continent, and situated behmd 
Espanola, which they called Caritaba. The inhabitants of 
all these islands live in great fear of the people of Caniba, and 
the Admiral here repeats as he has done in many places, that 
<J<(niba means no other than the people of the Great Khan, 
who live somewhere in this neighborhood, and come in their 
vessels and make prisoners of the Indians, who not returnmg, 
their countrymen imagine their enemies have devoured them. 

Each day, as the Admiral remarks, they improved in their 
communication with the Indians on board, and conversed 
with them without such misunderstandings as formerly. 
They sent on shore and found a great many mastic trees, 
but the gum would not harden; the Admiral thought that 

72 It has been shown that this distance is only ten miles. These 
errors must have been made by Las Casas in copying. 



94 

this might be effected by water, and observes that in the 
island of Scio it is gathered in March, but these countries be- 
ing warmer, it might probably be done in January. Many fish 
like those of Castile were taken, such as dace, salmon, poor 
jacks, dories, pampanos, skates, carvinas, and shrimps; pilch- 
ards were also seen. Vast quantities of aloe were met with 

on shore. 

Wednesday, December 12th. 

They were still unable to set sail, as the wind remained 
contrary. A large cross was set up at the entrance of the 
harbour, upon a beautiful spot upon the western side, as an 
indication in the words of the Admiral, that Your Highnesses 
possess the country, and principally for a token of Jesus Christ 
our Lord, and the honor of Christianity. This being done 
three sailors went into the woods to view the neighbourhood 
and presently heard a sound of the Indians, a crowd of whom 
they shortly after discovered completely naked; they pursued 
and called out after them, but they all took to flight. Having 
been directed by the Admiral to take some of the natives if 
possible, as he wished to show them some good offices, and 
dissipate their fear, thinking from the fine appearance of the 
country that something valuable might be obtained here, the 
Spaniards kept on in pursuit and succeeded in capturing a 
female, handsome and to appearance quite young; her they 
brought to the ships where the Admiral conversed with her 
by the interpretation of his own Indians, as their language 
was the same. He likewise caused her to be clothed, and 
presented her with glass beads, hawks' bells and rings of 
brass, dismissed her home with every civility. Some of the 
crew were sent with her, as also three of the Indians, for the 
purpose of communicating with the inhabitants. 

The sailors who carried her ashore told the Admiral that 
she showed such reluctance to leave the ship, and seemed in- 
clined to remain with the females on board, whom they had 
taken at Puerto de Mares and Juana. 

The Indians with whom she was first in company, came 
in a canoe, and when they came to the entrance of the har- 
bour and perceived the ships, abandoned their canoe, and fled 



95 

towards the houses whither she now directed the Spaniards. 
This woman wore a bit of gold at her nose, which was an indi- 
cation that it was to be found in the island. 

Thursday, December 13th. 

The three men whom the Admiral had despatched into 
the country with the woman, returned, not having gone to 
the Indian town, by reason either of the distance or their fear. 

They affirmed that the next day there would come many 
of the inhabitants to the ships, as they would be encouraged 
by the accounts which the woman must give them. 

The Admiral as he was desirous of ascertaining whether 
there was anything valuable, which he was inclined to believe 
on account of the beauty and fertility of the country, and 
wishing to do everything for the service of the King and 
Queen, resolved to send again to the town, confiding in the 
relation which the female must have given them of the friend- 
ly disposition of the Spaniards; for which purpose he selected 
nine persons from the crew, and despatched them well armed 
and fitted for the enterprise with one of his Indians. 

They set out and proceeded to the town,''^ which they 
found in an extensive valley, four leagues and a half to the 
S E. It was deserted, as the inhabitants, perceiving the ap- 
proach of the Spaniards, had all fled, leaving every thing 
behind them. The town consisted of a thousand houses, and 
more than three thousand inhabitants. The Indian who 
accompanied the Spaniards ran after the fugitives, calling 
out to them not to fear, for the strangers were not from 
Coriha, but from heaven, and gave many fine things to those 
whom they met. This had such an effect upon them, that 
they took courage, and came in a body of above a thousand 
to the Spaniards, putting their hands upon their heads which 
is a manifestation of great reverence and friendship; they 
stood trembling before them until the Spaniards by many 
assurances dissipated their apprehensions. The men further 
related that having overcome their dread, they went to their 
73 Subsequently known under the name of Gros Morne, situated on 
the banks of the Rio de los Tres Rios which empties half a mile west of 
Puerto df Paz. 



9G 

houses, and each one came bringing food for their guests,^* 
which are roots resembUng large radishes, cultivated through- 
out this country by the natives, and forming their principal 
subsistence; these they prepare by baking and roasting, and 
the bread thus made so nearly resembles chestnuts in taste, 
that it might easily be mistaken for a preparation of that 
fruit. The Indian who accompanied the Spaniards under 
standing that the Admiral wished to obtain a parrot told this, 
as they were led to suppose, to the inhabitants, who brought 
great numbers of them immediately to their guests, and gave 
them as many as they desired, without demanding anything 
in return. They entreated them not to return that night and 
promised them many things which they had in the mountains. 

While they were together with the Spaniards, they espi- 
ed a great multitude of people with the husband of the 
woman whom they had taken and entertained, this female 
they were carrying upon their shoulders, and came to return 
thanks to the Spaniards for the civilities which she had receiv- 
ed from the Admiral, and the presents he had given her. 

These people according to the relation of the men, were 
the handsomest, and best disposed of any they had yet seen. 
The Admiral says he knows not how they could be better dis- 
posed than those of the other islands; assuring us that he 
had found them of the very best disposition. As to beauty, 
the men stated that they exceeded the others beyond compar- 
ison, both males and females, being of a much lighter colour, 
and that two young females were seen as white as could be 
found in Spain. Moreover they affirmed that the most beau- 
tiful and excellent territories in Castile, could not equal those 
of this country; to which indeed, the Admiral bore testimony, 
both in those he had before visited, and in those of the pre- 
sent place, although he was informed that the land which he 
saw about the harbour was nothing in comparison with the 
valley where the town stood; to which the plain of Cordova 
was no more equal than the night was to the day. The coun- 
try according to their relation was cultivated everywhere, and 

74 Yams. 



97 

a large and wide river capable of watering the whole terri- 
tory, passed through the valley. The trees were flourishing 
and full of fruit, the plants very tall and luxuriant, the paths 
wide and commodious. 

The temperature like April in Castile; the nightingale 
and other birds were singing as at that season in Spain, and 
producing as they said, the most delightful melody in the 
world. Crickets and frogs in abundance were heard; the fish 
were like the Spanish. Many mastic and aloe trees were 
seen, as also cotton shrubs. No gold was found, which was 
not surprising, they had been here so short a time. The Ad- 
miral here ascertained the length of the day and night and 
found that from sunrise to sunset there passed twenty glasses 
of half an hour each, although he says there may be some 
defect in the calculation from the glass not being turned 
qviickly enough, or the contrary. 

He states further that he took an observation with the 
quadrant and found the latitude to be thirty-four degrees. "^ •'' 

Friday, December 14th. 

They left the port of Concepcion with a land breeze, 
which, however, soon died away; the same they had exper- 
ienced every day they remained there. Afterwards the wind 
sprung up from the east, and they stood to the N N E, which 
course brought them to the island of Tortuga. They de- 
scribed a point of this island, which they named Punta Pier- 
na; it was to the E N E, of this extremity of the island, about 
a dozen miles distant. 

They also discovered another point to the N E, about 
sixteen miles off, this they called Punta Lonzada, it was forty- 
four miles, or eleven leagues from the extremity of the island, 
towards E N E. Along the coast were several extensive beaches, 
the whole island is high, but not mountainous, and the land 
offers a beautiful prospect; it is, moreover, populous, like J^s- 
panola, and the country under such an extensive cultivation 
that it appears like the plain of Cordova. Finding the wind 
favorable for proceeding to the island of .Baneque {Pabeque) 

75 This must be a mistake, as it should be twenty degrees. 



98 

the Admiral concluded to return to Puerto de la Concepcion. 
There was a river two leagues east of the harbor which he 
was unable to reach. 

Saturday, December 15th. 

Left the Harbor de la Concejx-ion to proceed on regular 
course, but on putting to sea found a strong easterly wind 
ahead, whereupon the fleet steered for Tortuga, and on reach- 
ing the island put about and made for the river that had been 
seen the day before and could not reach, but was again disap- 
pointed in doing so, although they dropped anchor to leeward 
off a beach with a good clear anchorage. 

Having secured his vessels the Admiral went with the 
boats to see the river, and entered an inlet half a league dis- 
tant but found it was not the mouth. Putting back he discov- 
ered it with only a fathom's depth of water and a swift current. 
He entered with his boats in quest of the settlement which 
the men he had sent out two days before had seen. A hawser 
was carried ashore and the men towed the boats up the river 
against the current for a distance of two lombard shots, but 
were unable to proceed further because of the velocity of the 
current. Some dwellings were seen in the large valley where 
the town was situated, and the Admiral declared that he had 
never beheld a more beautiful prospect than that before him 
in the valley through which the river ran. Some of the na- 
tives appeared at the mouth of the nver, but they fled imme- 
diately. 'J'he Admiral further remarks that these people 
must be attacked very frequently, as they seem to live in such 
terror, because whenever we came upon them they made 
signals by smoke all over the country, more especially on this 
island of Hispaniola and in Tortuga which is also a large 
island. He named this valley the Valle del Paraiso (Vale of 
Paradise), and the river Gtcadalijaiver as he thought it was as 
wide as the river of that name at Cordoba; the banks were 
rocky but beautiful and easy to travel. 

Sunday, December 16th. 
At midnight we put to sea with a light land breeze. At 
about the third watch the wind shifted to the E, and we stood 



91) 

close upon it at a distance from the land, Halfway between His- 
paniola and Tortuga, a canoe containing a single Indian ap- 
peared; the Admiral was greatly surprised, wondering how 
he could keep afloat under so strong a wind. Jle commanded 
the Indian and his canoe to be taken on board, and feasted 
him, presenting him with glass beads, hawks' bells and bi ass 
rings, and then took him in the ships to a village'"' near the 
shore, which was some sixteen miles distant, where the Ad- 
miral anchored, having found a good place near the village, 
which appeared to be quite new, as the houses gave evidence 
of recent construction. The Indian went ashore in his canoe 
and gave a favorable account of the Christians to his country- 
men who were already predisposed in their favor from the 
information they had received from the inhabitants of the 
town which had been before visited by the six Christians. 
Presently there came to the shore more than five hundred 
men, and a little later, their king, and assembled together on 
the shore close to which the vessels were anchored. Before 
long they came singly and in crowds, but bringing nothing 
with them, except that a few had bits of very fine gold hang- 
ing from their ears and noses, which they gave to the strangers 
with great cheerfulness. The Admiral commanded every 
honor to be done to these people "because" as he observes, 
''they are the best and gentle^it people in the world, and especially 
as I have great hope in the Lord that Your Highnesses will make 
them all Christians, and that they may become your subjects, for, 
as such I already regard them:' He noticed also, that the king^ 
who was on the shore, was receiving honors from tlie natives 
around him. The Admiral sent him a present which he re- 
ceived in great state. He appeared to be a young man of 
about twenty-one years, and was attended by an aged tutor 
and other counsellors who gave him their advice and answer- 
ed all questions put to them. The king himself spoke but 
little. One of the Indians the Admiral had brought with 
hira spoke to him, and told him that the Christians had come 
from heaven, that they were in search of gold and desired to 
go to the is land of Baneque. He replied that this was well , 
76 Puerto de Paz. 



100 



and that there was much gold on that island, and he indicat- 
ed to the Alguacil of the Admiral, who carried the present, 
the course he should take; that he could make it in two days, 
and that if there was anything in his domains which the 
strangers required he would gladly give it to them. This 
king as well as his subjects, men and women, went about as 
naked as when they were born, without the slightest con- 
sciousness of indecorum. They are the finest specimens of 
humanity the Spaniards had yet come across, and if clothed 
and protected from the sun and the wind, would be nearly as 
fair as the inhabitants of Spain; the temperature here is 
mild and the best the tongue can describe. The land is very 
lofty and covered with plams and valleys and the highest 
mountains could be ploughed with oxen. There is not in all 
Castile a territory to be compared to this for beauty and fer- 
tility. The whole island and that of Tortuga are covered 
with cultivated fields like the plains of Cordova. They also 
raise c//c.s, which are slips set in the ground, at the foot of 
which grow roots like carrots; these are grated to powder, 
kneaded up and made into bread, of a very pleasant taste, like 
chestnuts. The stalk is set out anew, and produces another 
root, and this is repeated four or five times. The largest and 
most excellent that has been met with anywhere (the Admiral 
says they are also found in Guinea) were those of this island, 
being as large as a man's leg. The inhabitants here, he says ar-e 
stout and courageous and not slender and timid like those found 
oa other islands; gentle in speech and without religion. The 
trees grew with such luxuriance that their leaves were rather 
black than green. It was really delightful to view the valleys, 
the beautiful streams of water; the fields of bread fruit; the 
pastures adapted to herds of all descriptions, but which were 
no where to be found here; and the grounds adapted for gar- 
dens, and for everything that man's taste could ask. In the 
evening the king came on board and the Admiral did him 
due honor, and had him informed that he was a subject of 
the Sovereigns of Castile who were the greatest princes in 
the world. But neither the Indians the Admiral brought 
with him, who acted as interpreters, nor the king himself be- 



101 

lieved anything else but that they came from heaven, where 
they believed the kingdoms of the Sovereigns of Castile to be 
situated, and not upon earth. Food from Castile was presented 
to the king, but he merely tasted it and passed it all to his 
tutor and counsellors and the others he had brought with 
him. Your Highnesses may well believe that these coun- 
tries are so extensive, so excellent and fertile, especially the 
island of Hispaniola, that no man is competent to describe 
them, and no one would believe it who had not seen it. And 
Your Highnesses, may believe that they are as much yours 
as your own Castile, and that nothing is wanting for the pur- 
pose but a settlement here, and orders as to your pleasure. 
With the men I have with me, who are not very numerous, I 
can explore these islands without opposition, for I have seen 
three of my sailors go ashore, and a whole multitude of In- 
dians take flight without offering to resist them. They are all 
naked and have neither arms nor any knowledge of their uses 
So timid are they that a thousand of them would not stand 
against three of us. Hence they are well adapted to being 
governed and set to work to till the land and do whatever is 
necessary. They may also be taught to build houses, wear 
clothes and adapt our customs." 

Monday, December 17th. 

It blew all night from E N E, but the sea was not high 
because of its being sheltered by the island of Tortuga. Re- 
mained at anchor all day, and the crew was sent out to fish 
with nets. The Indians were very much pleased with their 
intercourse with the Christians, and brought them certain 
arrows which belong to the people of Caniba, or Canibals. 
These were stalks of cane, pointed at the ends with large 
sticks, which were sharpened and hardened in the fire. They 
were shown by two men who had lost certain portions of 
flesh from their bodies. These, they told the Admiral, had 
been eaten by the Canibals, but he did not believe them. 
Some of the crew were sent on shore to the village, and in 
exchange for some strings of beads brought some pieces of 
gold beaten out into thin plates. They saw a native whom 



102 

the Admiral took for the governor of the district and whom the 
Indians call cacique; he had a plate of gold as large as his 
hand which he seemed anxious to barter; this he carried to 
his house, and had cut into pieces and traded them off one by 
one. When it was all disposed of, he made known, by signs, 
that he had sent for more which would arrive next day. 
These things, with the general manners of the people, their 
practice of interchanging advice and gentleness of behaviour 
show them to be more intelligent than the others the Span- 
iards had seen up to that time. In the evening came a canoe 
with forty men from the island of Tortuga, and as soon as 
they arrived all the Indians on shore sat down in token of 
friendship, and most of those in the canoe landed. The Ca- 
cique now stood up and addressing them in words of threats, 
sent them back to their canoes and threw water at them. He 
also took up stones from the beach and threw them into the 
sea; and, after all had yielded obedience and returned to 
their canoe he put a stone into the hand of the Alguacil 
whom the Admiral had sent ashore with the Notary and 
others, that he might throw it at the canoe but he declined 
doing so. The canoe immediately departed. The Cacique 
made every demonstration of favor towards the Admiral, and 
told him that at Tortuga there was more gold than at His- 
paniola, as it was nearer to Baneque. The Admiral gives it 
as his opinion that neither at Hispaniola nor at Tortuga are 
there any gold mines, but that it is brought from Jianeque, 
and that these people get but little, because they have noth- 
ing to give in exchange for it, their country being so exten- 
sive that the inhabitants are not obliged to work much for 
their sustenance nor to obtain clothing, seeing they do not 
wear any. The Admiral believed himself to be very near the 
place where gold abounded, and that the Lord was about to 
direct him thither. He learned further that Baneque was 
distant four days' sail, which represented some thirty or forty 
leagues, which distance, under a fair wind, he could make in 
a single day. 

TuKSDAY, December 18th, 
Remained on this coast all dav for want of wind, and also 



103 

because the Cacique had been asked to bring gold, not that 
the Admiral expected a large quantity seeing that there are 
no mines here, but to obtain a better idea of where it was to 
be had. At sunrise the Admiral commanded the ship and the 
caravels to be decorated with flags and bunting in honor of 
the day, it being the feast of the Expectation of the B.V.M. or 
Commemoration of the Annunciation. There was quite a 
discharge of lombards, and the king of that Island of Hispan- 
iola (says the Admiral) had started at a very early hour for 
his residence, which, as near as could be ascertained, was 
some five leagues distant, and that he reached it about nine 
o'clock where he already found some of the ship's crew whom 
the Admiral had sent to find out whether any gold was com- 
ing. These reported that more than two hundred men were 
commg with the king who was being carried on a sort of lit- 
ter by four men, and that he was young as has already 
been stated. 

To-day, as the Admiral was dining under the ship's castle 
the king arrived at the vessel with all his people. And, says 
the Admiral to his Sovereigns; "Without doubt. Your High- 
nesses would have admired the state and respect shown him 
by all around him. As soon as he came on board and saw 
that 1 was dining under the castle, he came quickly towards me 
and sat down beside me, not giving me an opportunity of ris- 
ing to meet him, but insisted that I should keep my seat and 
continue eating. I thought he might like to eat some of our 
food and ordered some brought to him. Now, when he had 
come to where I was he made signs with his hands to his fol- 
lowers to remain outside, and they obeyed with all alacrity 
and submission, and all sat down on the deck, except two men 
of mature age whom I took to be his counsellors and tutor, 
who came and sat at his feet. Of the food I placed before 
him, he took only so much as politeness required and then 
passed it along to his people and all ate of it. He did the 
same with the drink, which he simply touched to his lips and 
then gave it to the others. All this was done with the most 
striking dignity and very few words; but what he did say, so 
far as I was able to learn, was very deliberate and full of wis- 



101 

dom, and his two counsellors watched his lips, and they spoke 
to him and for him, all with the greatest deference imagina- 
ble. After the meal was over an attendant brought forward 
a belt not unlike those of Castile in form, but of different 
workmanship, which he took and presented to me, and also 
two pieces of wrought gold very thin, and of which metal I 
believe they have very little here. I think, however, that we 
are not far from where it is to be had and where it abounds. 
I noticed that he seemed much pleased with a piece of drap- 
ery that was on my bed. I gave it to him, together with 
some very fine amber beads which were hanging around my 
neck, and a pair of colored shoes and a flask of orange water, 
with which he seemed highly delighted, and he and his tutor 
and counsellors expressed the greatest regret at their inabili- 
ty to understand me, and me to understand them. But, I was 
able to make out that he said to me that if there was anything 
anywhere on the island I desired he would be most happy to 
give it to me. I sent for some gold coins I had, on which 
were stamped the efigies of Your Highnesses, and showed 
them to him, and repeated what I had said to him yesterday 
that Your Highnesses commanded and governed the best 
part of the world and there were no greater princes than you 
are. I showed him the royal banners and the standard of the 
Cross, and he admired them greatly, but neither he nor his 
counsellors could be made to believe that we came from any- 
where but heaven and they wondered how I had been sent 
so far away from there without fear for me; and many other 
things which I could not understand, but which I knew filled 
them with wonder. When it grew late, and the Cacique 
desired to depart the Admiral sent him in his launch with 
great state, and fired many salutes. On reaching the shore 
he mounted his palanquin and departed with his two hundred 
men, while his son followed borne upon the shoulders of an 
Indian, a very honored man. Whenever he met any of the 
sailors or the fleet's crew he ordered food to be given them 
and that they be shown every honor. One of the sailors who 
met tlietn says that all the presents the Admiral had given 
him were carried before the king by men who seemed to be 



105 

held in the highest honor. The king's son was borne behind 
the king for some time followed by a large concourse of peo- 
ple like himself, and then the king's brother followed, except 
that the king's brother walked supported by two very honor- 
able men. The latter came to the ship after the king, to whom 
the Admiral made some presents and from whom the Admiral 
learned that the king was called in their language, Cacique. 
On this day very little gold was obtained, but the Admiral 
was informed by an old man that there were many islands in 
the vicinity, within a hundred leagues or more, as he under- 
stood it, in which there is much gold, and he went so far as 
to say that there was one island that was all gold, that in 
others it is so plentiful that it is gathered up and sifted as in 
a sifter and melted andmade into rods and otherwise wrought: 
they indicated the manner of working it by signs. This old 
man pointed out to the Admiral the course he should take to 
go there, and the Admiral said that if this man were not so 
prominent a member of the king's household he would take 
him with him, or that if he could speak the language he 
would urge him to accompany him and he felt sure that, on 
account of the friendly relations existing between him and 
the Christians, he would cheerfully do so. But, as he had 
already won these people over to the Sovereigns of Castile, 
the Admiral did not wish to offend them, so he would not 
insist on taking the old man. He erected a large cross in the 
centre of the village, and from the readiness with which the 
natives assisted, and from their implicit imitation of the 
Christians in their acts of devotion, the Admiral inferred that 
it would be an easy matter to convert them all to Chris- 
tianity. 

Wednesday, December 19th. 

We set sail to-night to leave the gulf formed by the island 
of Tortuga and Hispaniola. 

Upon the approach of day the wind shifted to the E, for 
which reason they were unable through the day to get out 
from between the islands; night coming on they found it 
impossible to reach a harbour they saw near. 

In the neighborhood of that place they espied four capes, 



10(5 

and a bay and river, also another large bay where there was 
a village, in the rear of which they saw a valley among sev- 
eral very high mountains; these mountains were covered with 
trees which the Admiral judged to be pines. At the back of 
the capes which he called Los dos Hermanos, there was a moun- 
tain very large and high, which runs fnmi N E, to S W,E S E, 
from another cape named Cabo de Torres there was a little 
isle which he called Saint Thomas, the next day being the 
anniversary of that saint. 

He judged that this whole country abounded in capes 
and excellent harbours, from what he could observe at sea. 
West of the isle above mentioned, was a cape running far into 
the sea, lofty in some parts and in others low, from this cir- 
cumstance he named it Caho alto y ba.fo. Seventy miles E, 
by S, from Cumino de Torres was a mountain loftier than any 
other, which extended into the sea; it appeared like an island, 
on account of a gap towards the land; he called it Mo)ite Car- 
ibatd, as the district around was named Carihata; it was a 
height without clouds or snow, but covered with beautiful 
flourishing trees. 

The w^eather here, with respect to the air and tempera- 
ture was like March in Castile, and the trees and herbs as 
in May in that country. The nights were fourteen hours long. 

Thursday, December 20th. 

At sunset this day they entered a harbour between the 
island of Saint Thomas and Cabo de Caribata; here they 
anchored. 

This harbour was found a very good one, and capacious 
enough to hold all the ships in Christendom. The entrance 
appeared impracticable from without, on account of several 
ledges of rocks which run from the mountain nearly to the 
island; these are scattered about in an irregular manner, 
some near the land and others off at sea, which renders it 
necessary to take great care in sailing in, the channels being 
very narrow, although deep having seven fathoms of water, 
and within the rocks twelve fathoms. 



107 

A ship might lie here moored with any sort of rope, and 
be safe from all winds. 

Near the mouth of the harbour was a plantation of canes 
at the west of a little sandy islet, which was overgrown with 
trees, at the foot of which were seven fathoms water. The 
harbour is safe from all the storms which can blow. From 
this place appeared a wide and cultivated valley, which de- 
scended to the sea from the S E, and was totally shut in by 
exceedingly tall mountains which seemed to rise to heaven ; 
these presented the most delightful view, being covered with 
luxuriant trees. No doubt there are mountains here loftier 
than the island of Teneriffe which is held to be the highest 
in the world. Here is another isle^^ a league from that of 
Saint Thomas, and further in another, all having fine harbours, 
but where it is necessary to look out for the shoals. Villages 
were seen, and smoke made by the inhabitants. 

Friday, December 21st. 
The Admiral went with the boats to examine the har- 
bour, and after having surveyed it declares that it is equaled 
by none which he has seen elsewhere. He excuses himself, 
saying that he has been so abundant m his praises of the 
others, that he has nothing left to say for this, and adds that 
he fears to be taken for an extravagant exaggerator of the 
truth, but is encouraged by the reflection that he has in his 
company mariners of experience who will confirm his account. 
He repeats that the commendations he has bestowed upon 
the other ports are true, and the superiority he has assigned 
this, he affirms to be true likewise, adding, "I have followed 
the seas for twenty-three years without being on shore any 
space of time w^orth accounting, and have seen all the East 
and West, and been to the North where England is situated 
and even to Guinea, but in none of these countries are to be 
found ports of such excellence as are to be met with here ; 

{Here a line is missing iti the original.) 
and as I go on making discoveries they''^ better 

77 Las Ratas. 

78 Word missing in original. 



los 

and better, as I find by carefully examining my journal; and 
I again affirm that this is superior to them all, and large 
enough to contain all the ships in the world, and so well shel- 
tered that a ship might ride with safety, although moored with 
the rottenest rope in the world. From the entrance to the 
extremity of the harbour is a distance of five leagues.'' ^ Fields 
were seen under cultivation, mdeed this was the case every- 
where. Two men were despatched from the boats, and or- 
dered to ascend a height and look out after the villages 
of the inhabitants, as none were seen from the sea, although 
it was judged there were some in the neighborhood, by a canoe 
with Indians having come last night about ten o'clock, to 
gaze at the ships, these men the Admiralpresented with some 
trifles which pleased them greatly. The two Spaniards re- 
turned, mforming that they had discovered a large town^^ at 
a little distance from the sea; the Admiral ordered the boats 
to row that way, and presently espied several Indians coming 
down to the shore; they seemed to be fearful of the Span- 
iards, and the Admiral directed the boats to be stopped and 
the Indians on board to speak to those on land and tell them 
they were friends, upon which the natives came close to the 
water's edge and the boats proceeded to land; the inhabi- 
tants now banished all their fears, and came down in such 
numbers as to cover the beach, making a thousand civilities 
to the Spaniards, men, women, and children. They ran here 
and there bringing bread made of Jiiames, which they named 
ajes, this was very white and good; they also brought water 
in calabashes and earthen vessels shaped like the pitchers of 
Castile. Whatever thing they were in possession of, and knew 
the Spaniards wanted, they offered with great pleasure and 
the utmost liberality. The Admiral remarks, these could not 
be deemed gifts of mean value, although their intrinsic worth 
was small, because every thing was given with the greatest 
generosity; a piece of gold was offered with as willing readi- 
ness as a calabash of water, and it is easy to perceive when a 
thing is given with a good will. These people have neither 

79 Should be five miles. 

80 Village of Accil. 



100 

staves, javelins nor any other weapons, and this I have re- 
marked of all the inhabitants of this island, v^hich appears to 
me to be very large. They are all as naked as they were 
born, both men and women, whereas in Jtiana, and the other 
islands the females wear a small covering of cotton at the 
waist, especially those above a dozen years, but neither old 
nor young practice it here. In other places we have found 
the inhabitants anxious to conceal their women from us, but 
here they displayed no such jealousy. The females at this 
place possess fine shapes, and were the first to give thanks to 
heaven upon our arrival, and bring us offerings, especially 
bread of ajes and five or six sorts of fruit. These last the 
Admiral caused to be preserved for the King and Queen. 

The same treatment they had received from the women 
in other parts before the men took care to keep them out of 
sight. The Admiral gave strict orders that the utmost atten- 
tion should be paid not to give offence to the natives in any 
thing, and that no article should be taken from them without 
his permission, in this manner they were paid for every thing 
they gave the Spaniards. The Admiral remarks that he be- 
lieves no one ever met with a people of such a liberal and 
generous disposition, which was exercised to such a degree 
that they were ready to rob themselves of every article of 
property to oblige their guests, flocking to them with offer- 
ings wherever they arrived. He sent six of his men to exam- 
ine the town which had been seen, to these the Indians 
showed every ht)nour they could invent, and presented such 
things as they had, not doubting in the least that the Admiral 
and all his crew had come from heaven, which also the Indians 
on board still continued to think, notwithstanding what the 
Spaniards had told them. 

The men being gone to the town, there came several 
canoes from a sovereign in the neighborhood, to request the 
Admiral on leaving this place to visit his town. The Admiral 
perceiving great crowds of people waiting for him upon a 
point of land, proceeded thither, when there came down to 
the shore immense multitudes, men, women, and children 
crying out to them, but remain there. The ambassadors 



no 

of the prince above mentioned, were all this time waiting with 
their canoes, lest he should go away without complying with 
their invitation. The Admiral then set oflf, and arriving near 
the place where the prince was waiting to receive him, this 
sovereign ordered all his people to seat themselves upon the 
ground, he then despatched men with provisions to the boats 
which seeing that the Spaniards accepted the greater part of 
the Indians ran off to the town which, was probably near and 
came back, bringing more, along with parrots and other 
things, which they offered with surprising liberality. Although 
they demanded nothing in return, the Admiral gave them 
glass beads, hawks' bells, and brass rings, as he thought it but 
just that payment should be made them, and in particular as 
he says, because he looked upon them as Christians, and more 
the subjects of the King and Queen, than the people of Cas- 
tile. He adds that nothing is wanting but to know their 
language and give them orders, as they will perform every 
thing commanded them without making the least opposition. 
He then left the place to return to the ships, the Indians all 
calling out, men, women, and children and entreating him to 
remain among them. 

Several canoes full of men followed the boats to the ships, 
these the Admiral treated with much civility and gave them 
food and other presents. Great numbers came from the 
shore swimming about the ship, which was about half a 
league from the land. While the Admiral was upon his visit 
there came another prince from the westerly part of the 
island, and not finding him he returned. The Admiral sent 
some men to visit and obtain information from him; these he 
received very graciously and conducted towards his town 
where he intended to give them large pieces of gold; they 
went along with him until they came to a wide river, which 
the Indians passed by swimming, but the Spaniards being- 
unable to cross it, turned back. All this neighborhood abounds 
in mountains so lofty that they seem to reach the skies. The 
Peak of Teneriffe is nothing in comparison with them either for 
height or beauty. These are all covered with wood and veg- 
etation to a delightful manner, and include among them many 



Ill 

beautiful plains. At the south of this harbour is a plain so 
extensive that the eye cannot reach the end, it is probably 
fifteen or twenty leagues in extent, without the interruption 
of a single eminence; it contains a river and is inhabited and 
cultivated throughout, being at present as green and flour- 
ishing, as the fields in Castile in May or June, although the 
nights are here fourteen hours long, and this country so far 
to the north. The harbour here is well sheltered from every 
wind that can blow, being deep and well shut in. Ships may 
also lie here m perfect safety from an incursion during the 
night from without; for although the entrance has a width of 
more than two leagues, it is confined by a couple of rocky 
ledges nearly on a level with the water, leaving a very narrow 
passage which seems almost the work of art. 

In the mouth of the harbour there are seven fathoms 
depth of water, this continues to a level islet which has a 
beach and is covered with trees. The entrance is to the 
west, where a ship may sail in without fear, coming close to 
the rock. 

Towards the N W, are three islands and a large river, a 
league from the cape of this harbour. This being Saint 
Thomas's day, the Admiral named the harbour The port of 
the Sea of Saint Thomas, calling it a sea, from its size. 

Saturday, December 22d. 
At daybreak they set sail to go in search of the islands 
where, as the Indians told them, there was much gold and in 
some of them more gold than earth; but found the weather 
unfavorable and returned to their anchorage, when the boat 
was despatched with nets for fishing. The sovereign of the 
country 8 1 who resided in the neighbourhood sent a large 
canoe full of men, with one of his principal attendants re- 
questing the Admiral to come with the ships to his territory, 
promising him any thing he had. He sent by this messenger 
a girdle to which was attached instead of a pouch, a mask 
having the nose, tongue and ears of beaten gold. 

81 This was Guacauagari, sovereign of Marien, where Columbus 
built a fort, and left 39 of his men at his return to Spain. 



112 



The Indians in the canoe, meeting the boat, gave the 
girdle to a ship's boy, and proceeded on board the ship with 
their embassy. Some time passed before they could be under- 
stood, the Indians on board not comprehending them, as 
their language was somewhat different from that of the 
others; finally they made out to express themselves by signs, 
and made known their invitation. 

The Admiral determined to accept it, and came to a reso- 
lution to sail the next day, which was Sunday, although he 
was not accustomed to put to sea on that day; this arose from 
devotion and not from any superstitious scruples. Besides, 
entertaining a hope that these people by the willingness they 
manifested, would become Christians, and subjects of Castile, 
and already looking upon them in that light, he was desirous 
of doing every thing to oblige them. Before quitting this 
place he sent six of his men to a very large to\/n, three 
leagues to the west, the prince of that placehaving visited the 
Admiral the preceding day and told him that he had several 
pieces of gold. 

With these men he sent his secretary, whom he charged 
to take care that the Spaniards did nothing wrong to the In- 
dians, for these were so liberal, and the Spaniards so immea- 
surably greedy, that they were not satisfied with receiving 
the most valuable of what the inhabitants possess, in exchange 
for a leather thong, a bit of glass or earthen ware, or other 
worthless trifles, and sometimes for nothing at all, which, 
however, the Admiral had always prohibited. Although the 
articles which the Indians offered were of little value, except 
the gold, yet the Admiral considering the readiness with which 
they parted with them, as giving a piece of gold for half a 
dozen strings of glass beads, ordered that nothing should be 
taken from them without paymg for it. The Spaniards ar- 
riving at the town the prince took the secretary by the hand, 
and led him accompanied by a great multitude of people, to 
his house, where victuals were set before the Spaniards, and 
large quantities of cotton cloth and balls of yarn brought 
them. Late in the evening the Spaniards returned, the prince 
presenting them with three fat geese and some bits of gold; 



113 

a great number of the Indians accompanied them back and 
insisted upon carrying their goods for them across the rivers 
and miry places. The Admiral made the prince some pre- 
sents, at which he and all his people showed the greatest 
pleasure, and thought themselves happy in gazing upon the 
Spaniards, whom they believed to have come from heaven. 
This day more than a hundred and twenty canoes came to 
the ships, all filled with people, and every one bringing some- 
thing, in particular bread, fish, and water in earthen pitchers, 
as also a kind of seed which serves very well for a spice; of 
this they put a grain in a cup of water and drank it. The 
Indians on board the ships affirmed that it was very whole- 
some. 

Sunday, December 23d. 

The want of wind compelled them to remain here still, 
and the Admiral despatched the boats with his secretary to 
the prince from whom he had received the invitation the 
day before. 

While they were gone he sent two of his Indians to visit 
the towns in the neighbourhood, these returned bringing a 
prince of the country with them, and the information that 
gold was to be had in that island in as great plenty as could 
be desired, the people coming thither from all parts to obtain 
it. More persons arrived who confirmed this account, and 
showed the manner of collecting it; this the Admiral under- 
stood with difficulty, but still held it for certain that the 
metal must exist in abundance in these parts, where on find- 
ing the spot it might be got for little or nothing. 

He remarks that he is confirmed in his opinion by having 
in the three days he has been here, received many large 
pieces, and cannot believe it is brought thither from other 
places. He utters these words, " Our Lord, in whose hands are 
all things, be my help, and order every thing for his service. 

More than a thousand of the inhabitants visited the ships, 
every one bringing something; their custom was on arriving 
within half a bow shot, to stand up in their canoes,holding out 
their offerings in their hands, and exclaiming "Take! Take." 
Besides these there came about five hundred swimming for 



114 

want of canoes, the ships being anchored near a league from 
the shore. Five princes with all their families came among 
the rest to visit the Spaniards to all whom the Admiral made 
presents, esteeming every thing given them well bestowed. 

'Our Lord in his mercy,' says he 'direct me where I may 
find the gold mine, as I have many here who profess to be 
acquainted with it.' At night the boats returned and inform- 
ed that they had gone a great distance, and at the mountain 
of Caribatan had met with canoes full of people, coming from 
the place where the Spaniards were going, to visit the Ad- 
miral; these turned back and accompanied the Spaniards to 
the town, ^2 which they found the largest and most regular 
with respect to the streets, of any that had been seen; it was 
situated nearly three leagues to the southeast of Punia 
Santa. ^^ 

The canoes rowing faster than the boats, slipped ahead 
and carried the intelligence of their arrival to the Cacique as 
they called him. Hitherto the Admiral had been unable to 
learn whether this was the name of a kmg or a governor. 
They have another name for their chief people, which is 
JSfUat/no;^^ whether this signified governor, nobleman, or 
judge, could not be ascertained. Finally the Cacique came to 
them, and all the people sat down in the plaza which had 
been carefully swept, and there were more than two thousand 
men. This king did much honor to the ship's people, and his 
subjects brought to each one something to eat and to drink. 
After this the king gave each one of the Spaniards some cot- 
ton goods, and parrots for the Admiral, together with some 
pieces of gold. The natives also gave some cotton goods and 
other things in their houses to the sailors in exchange for the 
small trifles given them and which they prized very highly 
as relics. When in the afternoon the strangers desired to 
depart, the king besought them to remain another day, so also 
did the entire population. Seeing they were determined to 
start, they accompanied them a good part of the way, indeed, 

83 Guarico. 

83 San Honorato. 

84 A Nitayno was a grandee ne.\t in rank to the king. — Las Casas. 



115 

as far as their boats which were at the entrance of the river. 

Monday, December 24th. 

Weighed anchor under a land breeze about sunrise. 
Among the many Indians who visited the vessel yesterday, 
and who by signs indicated that there was gold on that island, 
and named the places where they obtained it, the Admiral 
saw one who seemed more disposed to be sociable, and he 
tried to prevail upon him to go with him and show him where 
these gold mines were situated. This Indian brought a com- 
panion or relative with him, who, among other places they 
named where gold might be found, mentioned Cipango, which 
they call Civao, and they declare that there is here a large 
quantity of gold and that the Cacique has banners of beaten 
out gold, but it is very far to the east. The Admiral here 
says these words to his Sovereigns, "Your Highnesses may 
well believe that there can be no better or more gentle peo- 
ple m the whole world. Your Highnesses should be greatly 
rejoiced, because you will later make Christians of them, and 
they will be instructed in the better habits of your kingdoms. 

There can be no finer land nor people anywhere, and so 
abundant is everything that I am at a loss as to how to describe 
it. I spoke in the most exalted manner of the people of 
Juana which the natives call Cuba, but there is as much diff- 
erence between them and these as there is between day and 
night; nor can I believe that any one else who may have seen 
them could possibly say less than I have. I repeat it and I 
say that it is really wonderful all one sees of the things and 
people of this place, and of the large towns of this island of 
Hispaniola, which I so named but which the natives call Bo- 
hio. They are all so tractable and kind, so gentle in their 
speech, and not like others who speak in a sort of menacing 
tone. The men and women are of good size and not black. 
It is true that all stain themselves, some black, some other 
colors, but most of them red. I have learned that they do 
this to counteract the injurious effects of the sun. Their 
houses and villages are so beautiful; there is so much grace 
and dignity about the people; they are so obedient to their 



116 

chiefs, and these personages are so dignified, use so few words 
have beautiful manners and are commanded almost entirely 
by signs, and the readiness with which they are understood is 
really marvelous. All these are the Admiral's own words. 

Whoever would enter this sea of Strtfo 7ome must stand 
for a small level island at the entrance which was named La 
Amiga, and coming within a stone's throw, must keep to the 
west of the island, hugging the shore, as a large reef juts out 
from the west, and extends about a lombarda shot towards 
the island. The depth of the channel at its shoalest part is seven 
fathoms, with a gravel bottom, whilst within there is room 
for all the ships in the world, and where they may lie with- 
out moorings. There are two or three shoals outside, with 
other large shoals and a reef to the E, extending towards the 
island of La Amiga, and far into the sea; covering two leagues 
towards the cape; but among these there appeared to be a 
channel two lombarda shots from La Amiga, and the foot of 
Mount Caribatan, a spacious and very good harbour. 

Tuesday, December 25th. 

Sailing under a light wind all day yesterday from the sea 
of iSauto Toinie to Punta tSanta he stood off about a league, 
until eleven o'clock at night, when the Admiral resolved to 
seek repose, as he had not slept for two days and a night. 
The sea was so perfectly calm that the helmsman also went to 
sleep and left the wheel in charge of a boy, a thing the Ad- 
miral had always strictly forbidden whether in wind or calm. 
The Admiral felt perfectly secure from all danger from rocks 
and bars, because on Sunday when he sent his boats to the 
king of that country, they had passed to the east of the said 
Punta Saxta full three and a half leagues, and he ascertained 
just where he could pass, a thing which had not occurred 
during the whole voyage. 

The Lord permitted that at about twelve o'clock on this 
night, when, as we have seen, the Admiral had gone to rest, 
and a dead calm prevailed, the sea being like a pond and all 
had gone to rest and the wheel was left in charge of a mere 
boy, that the current which ran along the coast carried the 



117 

vessel quietly upon a sand-bar. The boy had not noticed the 
breakers, although they made a noise that might be heard a 
league. No sooner, however, did he feel the rudder strike, 
and hear the tumult of the roaring sea, than he began to cry 
for aid. The Admiral was the first on deck; so quickly had 
all this happened, and so quietly, that no one was aware that 
the ship had run aground. The master of the ship whose 
duty it was to have been on watch, next came on deck, fol- 
lowed by others of the crew, half awake. The Admiral or- 
dered them to take the boat and carry out an anchor astern, 
to warp the vessel off. The master and sailors sprang into 
the boats, but in their confusion, instead of obeying orders, 
rowed off to one of the caravels about half a league to wind- 
ward. In the meantime, the master had reached the caravel 
and made known the dangerous condition of the vessel. He 
was reproached for his cowardly desertion, and the commander 
of the caravel manned his boat and hastened to the relief of 
the Admiral, followed by the recreant master overwhelmed 
with shame and confusion. It was too late to save the ship, 
the current having carried her higher upon the bar. The 
Admiral seeing that his boat had deserted him, that the ship 
had swung across the stream and that the water was continu- 
ally gaining upon her, ordered the mast to be cut away, in the 
hope of lightening her sufficiently to float her off. His efforts 
were all in vain. The keel was firmly embedded in the sand; 
the shock had opened several seams, and the swell of the 
breakers striking her broadside left her, each moment more 
and more aground, until she fell over to one side. Fortu- 
nately the weather continued calm, otherwise the ship must 
have gone to pieces. 

The Admiral took his men on board the caravel, and 
immediately sent Don Diego de Arana, chief judge of this 
armament, and Pedro Gutierrez, the King's butler, ashore, as 
envoys to the Cacique, Guacanagari, to inform him of the in- 
tended visit of the Admiral and of his disastrous shipwreck. 
In the meantime, as a light wind had sprung up from the 
shore, and the Admiral was uncertain of his situation, and of 
the rocks and bars that might be lurking around him, he lay 



118 



to until daylight. The dwelling of the Cacique was about a 
league and a half from the wreck. When he heard of the 
misfortune of his guest, he displayed the greatest sorrow, and 
was moved even to tears. He immediately sent all his people 
with all the canoes, large and small, that could be mustered; 
and so active were they in their assistance, that in a very 
short time the vessel was unloaded. The Cacique himself 
and his brothers and relatives, rendered all the aid in their 
power, both on sea and land. Vigilant guard was kept so 
that everything be conducted with order and the property 
secured from injury or theft. From time to time, he sent 
members of his family or some principal persons among his 
attendants, to console and cheer the sorrow stricken Admiral, 
and to assure him that everything on the island should be at 
his disposal. The Admiral assures his Sovereigns that in no 
part of Castile, nor indeed, of the world, were the duties of 
hospitality more rigorously observed. All the effects landed 
from the ships were deposited near his dwelling, and an armed 
guard surrounded them all night, until houses could be pro- 
cured in which to store them. There seemed to be, however, 
even among the common people, no disposition to take ad- 
vantage of the misfortune of the strangers. There was not 
the least attempt to pilfer and in transporting the cargo from 
the ship there was not so much as a needle missing. Indeed, 
the Cacique and his people wept in sympathy with the Span- 
iards in their misfortune. So loving, so tractable, so kind, are 
these people, says the Admiral, " that I assure Your High- 
nesses, there is not in the world a better land nor a better 
nation. They love their neighbors as themselves; their dis- 
course is ever sweet and gentle, and accompanied with a 
smile; and though, it is true that they go about as naked as 
when they were born, their manners are decorous and praise- 
worthy. Believe me. Your Highnesses, they are a wonderful 
people; the king bears his state with dignity, his manners are 
so continent that it is a pleasure to see him. The people have 
marvelous memories, they wish to see everything and they 
ask the reason for everything and the use of everything." All 
this says the Admiral. 



119 



Wednesday, December 26th. 

With the morning sun came the king of that country to 
the caravel Niila, where the Admiral had established his 
quarters, and told him, with tears of sympathy in his eyes, not 
to worry, and that he would give him anything he possessed. 
He had already given two very large houses to the Christians 
who were on shore to shelter them and to receive their effects 
landed from the wreck and he offered to furnish more if ne- 
cessary, and all the canoes needed for transportation; even as 
he had done the day before, without so much as the loss of a 
crumb of bread or of anything else. '' ISo faithful," says the 
Admiral, ''''and loithout covetoicsness of another's goods, are 
these people, and most especially their righteous King." While 
they were conversing, a canoe came from another part of the 
island bringing pieces of gold to be exchanged for hawks' 
bells, because there was nothing upon which the natives set 
so much value as upon these toys. Hardly had the canoes 
come up with the ships than they displayed their pieces of 
gold, crying out "chuq! chuq!" for hawks' bells, for which they 
seem to have a perfect mania. After all this had taken place 
and the canoes were going away, as they came from other 
places, they called back to the Admiral to save a hawks' bell 
until the next day and they would bring for it four pieces of 
gold as large as a man's hand. The Admiral seemed pleased 
at this, and later on a sailor came from shore and told the 
Admiral that it was wonderful how much gold the Christians 
ashore were getting for mere nothing; for a strip of leather 
they would give pieces worth more than two Castellanos, and 
that this was nothing to what they would get within a month. 
This information was cheering to the Admiral and the Caci- 
que perceiving the pleasure that shone on his countenance 
asked what the sailor had said. On learning that the Admiral 
was so anxious to obtain gold, he assured him by signs, that 
there was a place not far off among the mountains, where 
it abounded to such a degree, as to be deemed of very 
little value, and promised to get him from there as much as 
he desired. The place to which he alluded was Cipango, 



120 

which the natives call Cihao;^^ there was also gold to be had 
in large quantities on the island of Ilispaniola which they call 
jBohio, and in the province of Caribata. 

The king dined on board the caravel with the Admiral 
after which he invited him to visit his residence on shore. 
Here he prepared a collation as choice and as abundant as his 
simple means could afford,consisting of utias and coneys, fish, 
and of a bread which they call cazave, and various fruits. 
After the collation the king conducted the Admiral to the 
beautiful groves which surrounded his residence. There were 
upwards of a thousand natives in attendance, all perfectly 
naked. The king wore the shirt and gloves which the Ad- 
miral had given him, and he made more to do over the 
gloves than over anything he had received. He was remark- 
ably nice and decorous in his mode of eating which shows 
his noble lineage. When he had finished he washed his 
hands and rubbed them with sweet and fragrant herbs, which 
the Admiral thought he did to preserve their delicacy and 
softness. He was served with great deference by his sub- 
jects, and conducted himself towards them with a gracious 
and prince-like majesty. The king ordered his people to 
perform several national games and dances in order to drive 
away the melancholy of his guest. 

When the Indians had finished their games the Admiral 
sent on board the caravel for a Moorish bow and quiver 
of arrows, and ordered one of his crew who was skilled in 
its use. to shoot for the admiration of the natives. When 
the Cacique saw the accuracy with which this man used the 
weapon, he was greatly surprised, being himself ignorant 
of the use of arms. He told the Admiral that the people 
of Caniba whom they called Caribes, who often visited their 
territory and carried off his subjects, were also armed with 
bows and arrows, but without iron; that in all these islands 
neither iron nor steel were known; only gold and copper, 
and the Admiral had seen very little of the latter. The 
Admiral assured the Cacique, by signs, that the Sovereigns 

85 Columbus still insists upon confounding these two places. 



121 

of Castile would order the destruction of the Caribes, and 
that he would have them all brought bound hand and foot 
before him. In proof of his ability to do all this the Admiral 
ordered a lombard (or heavy cannon) and an arquebuse to 
be discharged. At the sound of the report the Indians fell 
to the ground, and when they saw the effect of the ball, 
rending and shivering the trees like a stroke of lightening 
they were filled with dismay. Being told that the Christians 
would defend them with these weapons against the Caribes 
their alarm was changed into great joy. 

The Cacique now presented the Admiral with a mask 
of carved wood, with the eyes, ears and other parts of gold; 
he hung plates of the same metal around his neck and 
placed a kind of golden coronet upon his head. He distri- 
buted presents also among the followers of the Admiral. 

The extreme kindness of the Cacique, the gentleness of 
his people, the quantities of gold which were daily brought 
to be exchanged for the veriest trifles and the information con- 
tinually received of sources of wealth in the interior of this 
island, all contributed to console the Admiral in his misfor- 
tune. He recognized that Providence had not dealt hard 
with him in his shipwreck. "Out of this," he says, " so many 
things have happened that the stranding of the vessel has 
been a blessing, indeed. Because it is certain, that if I had 
not stranded and I had gone on without stopping at this 
place, I should not have been able to leave any people here 
nor could I have provided for them nor could I have found 
the means for their sustenance nor the materials for the 
building of a fortress, and it is true that many of my people 
have besought me directly and indirectly to permit them to 
remain here, I have now resolved to build a tower and 
fortress, all well arranged, and a large cave; not because 
there is any necessity for it, because, as I have said, with 
the people I have with me I could subjugate the whole 
island, which 1 believe to be larger than the whole of Portu- 
gal, and with twice as many people, but they are naked, 
and without arms and destitute of all resources. But, it is 
right to build this tower, and to have it as it ought to be, 



\2'2 

seeing it is so far away from Your Highnesses, and that 
they may realize the genius of Your Highness' people, and 
what they are able to accomplish to the end that they may 
yield obedience to you through fear as well as love. Thus, 
they will have boards with which to build the fort (from the 
wreck) and provisions in food and wine for more than a year; 
and seed to plant, and the long boat from the ship and a 
calker, a carpenter, a gunner, a cooper, and a number of 
men who are very anxious to serve Your Highnesses, and 
please me at the same time, in exploring the island and dis- 
covering the island where gold is to be found. Thus, it is 
that things have turned out very fortunately to bring about 
that I should make a beginning. Especially does this appear 
so when we consider that when the vessel struck she did it 
so gently as to be hardly perceptible, and there was neither 
high sea nor wind." All this says the Admiral. And he adds, 
more to show that it was a piece of good fortune, and the 
determined will of God that the ship should be wrecked 
there, that some of his people might remain, for as he states, 
had it not been for the treacherous conduct of the master 
and crew (who were most all of them his countrymen) in 
not carrying the anchor astern to haul off the ship, as they 
were ordered, she would have been saved and thus no knowl- 
edge of the country would have been obtained during the 
stay by the men he intended to leave there, because the 
Admiral was always bent on making discoveries, and not on 
staying in any place longer than a day, unless compelled to 
do so by the wind, as his ship, as he says, was very heavy 
and not adapted for making discoveries. The fault of this 
lies with the people of Palos, in having failed in their agree- 
ment to furnish the King and Queen, as they had promised 
with suitable vessels for the expedition. The Admiral con- 
cluded by saying that every fragment of the ship was saved, 
there being lost not as much as a strip of leather or a nail, 
she being as complete as when she first set out except what 
was caused by cutting her to get at the casks and merchan- 
dise, all of which were well secured and carried on shore, 
as already stated. The Admiral says that he trusts in God, 



li>3 

that on his return from Castile, he will find a ton of gold 
collected by them in trading with the natives, and that his 
people will have succeeded in discovering the mine and the 
spices, and all these in such abundance that before three 
years the King and Queen may be able to undertake the 
moving of the Holy Sepulchre. ^^For, I have before pro- 
tested to Your Highnesses that the profits of this enterprise 
shall be employed in the conquest of Jerusalem, at which Your 
Highnesses smiled and said that you had the same desire with- 
out this." These are the words of the Admiral. 

Thursday, December 27th. 
At sunrise the king of that country came on board the 
caravel and told the Admiral that he had sent for gold, and 
that he was anxious to cover him all over with it before he 
left or rather he besought him not to go away at all. The 
king and his brother partook of a collation with the Admiral 
in a very private manner, and told him that they wished 
to go to Castile with him. At this juncture, news came to 
them that the caravel Pinta.was in a river at the end of the 
island. The Cacique sent a canoe to the place and the Ad- 
miral ordered one of his men to go in it. The Cacique 
displayed an attachment for the Admiral which was really 
wonderful. The Admiral now exerted the utmost diligence 
in preparing for his return to Castile. 

Friday, December 28th. 
To give some directions and hasten the construction of 
the fort, and see the men who were to man it, the Admiral 
went ashore. It appears that the king caught sight of him 
as he was embarking, for, he hastened to enter his house 
and sent one of his brothers to the beach to receive him. 
The Admiral was conducted to one of the houses given to 
the strangers, and which was the largest and the best in the 
place. Here there was prepared a seat made of the inner bark 
of the palm tree, upon which they invited the Admiral to 
sit. The king's brother then sent an attendant to inform 
the Cacique that the Admiral was there, as if he were ignorant 
of it. The Admiral understood that this was done to show 



1^4 

him all the more honor. When the attendant had delivered 
his message the Cacique came running to the Admiral and 
placed about his neck a large plate of gold which he brought 
with him. The Admiral remained with him until evening 
considering what was to be done. 

Saturday, December 2!)th. 
At sunrise there came on board the caravel a nephew 
of the Cacique, quite a youth, but a person of good under- 
standing and courage (as the Admiral expressed it), and as 
he was always anxious to ascertain where he could find gold, he 
used to question every one about it by signs, as they could 
now converse in that manner. The 5'oung man informed 
him that at a four days' journey to the E, was an island called 
Guarionex, and others called 3facorix, Mayouic, Fiima, Cibao, 
and Coroai/,'^^ on which there was no end of gold. The 
Admiral wrote down the names of these places, and it came 
to the knowledge of the king that this youth had given this 
information and he reproved him for it; so, at least, the 
Admiral understood. He had at other times understood that 
the Cacique was anxious to prevent him from ascertaining 
where the gold was to be had, lest he should go to seek 
it or obtain it from other parties. But, there is so much of 
it, and in so many places on the island, says the Admiral, 
that it is really marvelous. In the evening the Cacique sent 
him a large golden mask, and asked for a wash basin and 
ewer. The Admiral supposing that he wanted these so as 
to have others made like them, sent them to him. 

Sunday, December 30th. 
The Admiral went to dine on shore and found that 
there had arrived five kings, subjects to this one who was 
known as Guacanafjari. All these wore their crowns and 
moved in great state, and the Admiral tells his sovereigns 
that their Highnesses would have been highly delighted to 
observe their manners. As soon as the Admiral landed 
Guacanagari came forward to receive him and leading him by 

86 These were not islands but provinces in the island of Hispaniola. — 
Las Casas. 



1 i25 

the arm, conducted him to the house in which he had been 
entertained the day before; here was an elevated space and 
seats, upon which the Admiral was made to sit. The Caci- 
que took off his crown and placed it upon the head of the 
Admiral, who, in turn, took from his neck a splendid collar 
made of very beautiful beads, and put it around that of 
the Cacique, and also divested himself of a mantle of fine 
scarlet cloth, which he had donned for the occasion and 
placed it upon the shoulders of the Cacique. He then sent 
for a pair of red buskins, which he placed upon the Caci- 
ques feet, and a large silver ring which he placed upon his 
finger, having heard that the natives had seen a silver nng 
on the hand of one of the sailors and had made every effort 
to obtain it. The Cacique was greatly pleased with these gifts, 
and two of the other Caciques came to the Admiral, and each 
gave him a plate of gold. While they were here an Indian ar- 
rived saying that two days before he had left the caravel 
Pinta in a harbor to the E. The Admiral returned to the 
caravel and Vicente Anos,^'' the captain told him that he 
had seen rhubarb and that it grew upon the island of Ami- 
ga at the entrance of the harbor, which was called 3Iar de 
ISaido Tome, six leagues from there, and that he had recog- 
nized both root and branches. It is said that the rhubarb 
sends forth flowers and berries which resemble green mul- 
berries half dried, and that the stalk near the root is of a fine 
yellow color, the best that can be used for painting, and the 
root is like a large pear. 

Monday, Dkcember JSJst. 
This day was spent in taking on board water and wood for 
their homeward voyage, that he might give speedy news to 
his Sovereigns so that ships might be sent out to discover 
what was yet to be found, as there was much yet to be done 
in that direction. He was anxious, before his departure, how- 
ever, to explore all this coast to the E, to learn the most 
direct route to it from Castile for the transit of cattle and 
other things. But, as he had now only one vessel he did not 
87 It should be Vicente Tanez. 



120 

think it prudent to expose himself to the dangers these dis- 
coveries might entail. He complains that all his present 
troubles are due to his abandonment by the Pinta. 

Tuesday, January 1st, 1493. 

At midnight a boat was sent to the island of Amiga in 
search of rhubarb. They returned in the evening with a 
frail of it, not having been able to procure more of it because 
they had taken no spades, with which to dig it up. What was 
obtained was carried home as samples to the Sovereigns^ 
The canoe which had been sent out in search of the Pinta re- 
turned without any news of her. The sailor who went out 
in her reported that at twenty leagues distant he met a Caci- 
que who wore upon his head two great plates of gold, but, as 
soon as the Indians who accompanied him in the canoe spoke 
to him, he took them off. He also saw much gold on many 
other natives. The Admiral believed that Guacanegari had 
prohibited all the others from selling gold to the Christians, 
so that it might all pass through his hands. But, he had 
known places, as already stated, where it was so abundant as 
to be valueless. 

The spices, as the Admiral says, are also abundant, and 
more valuable than pepper or grains of paradesi. He left 
orders with those that remained to collect as much as possi- 
ble of it. 

Wednesday, January 2d, 

The Admiral went ashore in the morning to take leave 
of Guacanagari, and to depart in the name of the Lord. He 
gave him one of his own shirts. He also gave him an exper- 
iment of the power of the lombardas. For this purpose one 
of them was ordered to be mounted and fired against the side 
of the ship which w^as ashore. He was anxious to make him 
at ease concerning the Caribes who made war upon his peo- 
ple, and to show him the extent of his protection. The shot 
passed through the ship and struck the sea at a distance. 
He also gave him an idea of a skirmish between parties of his 
crew, armed for the purpose, telling the Cacique that he 
need not fear the Caribes even if they should come upon them- 



127 

All this was done, says the Admiral to strike terror into the 
inhabitants and to make them friendly to the Christians who 
were to be left behind. He took the king and his attendants 
with him to the house which had been assigned to him to dine. 
At parting he gave strict orders to Diego de Arana, Pedro 
Gutierrez and Rodrigo Escovedo, whom he made his lieuten- 
ants over the people he left after him, that everything should 
be well grounded and regulated for the service of God and 
their Highnesses. The Cacique manifested great affection 
for the Admiral, and the deepest sorrow at separating from 
from him, especially when he saw him about to embark. One 
of the natives told the Admiral that he had ordered his statue 
to be made of pure gold as large as life, and that inside of 
ten days it would be brought here. The Admiral went on 
board with the intention of setting sail but was prevented 
from doing so by adverse wind. 

He left on that island of Hispaniola which the Indians 
call Bohio, a fort and thirty-nine men, whom he describes as 
very great friends of Giiacanagori, and over these he placed 
as lieutenant Diego de Arana, a native of Cordova; Pedro 
Gutierrez, groom of the King's wardrobe, and Rodrigo de 
Escovedo, a native of Seville, and nephew of Fray Rodrigo 
Perez, with all the powers the Sovereigns had delegated to 
him. He left them all the goods which had been sent for 
trading, being a great amount that they might trade for gold 
and everything belonging to the ship. He gave them also 
biscuit and wine for a year; and the ship's launch, so that 
they (being sailors for the most part) might, at convenient 
opportunities, undertake the discovery of the gold mine; so 
that on the Admiral's return he might find much gold and a 
proper place for founding a city, as this port did not suit him; 
and esDecially, because the gold brought here, came from the 
east, and the further east they were the nearer they were to 
Spain. He also left them seed for sowing, and his officers, a 
notary and alguazil, and among others a good ship's carpen- 
ter and calker, a good gunner well up in engineering, a cooper, 
a surgeon and a tailor, all of whom he says were good 
seamen. 



128 



Thursday, January 3d, 
The Admiral did not sail to-day because the Indians be- 
longing to the ship remained on shore. At night three of 
them arrived, and reported that the others with their wives 
were also coming. The sea was also somewhat agitated, not 
allowing the boat to lie at the shore. The Admiral deter- 
mined to sail, by the grace of God, the next morning. He 
said that if he had had the caravel Pinta with him, he should 
have been sure of obtaining a ton of gold, for, in that case he 
would have ventured to cruise among these islands, but be- 
ing alone, he dared not do so lest some mishap should prevent 
his returning to Castile and informing the King and Queen 
of the discoveries he had made. Even had he been cer- 
tain that the Pinta would arrive safe thither, with Martin 
Alonzo Pinzon, he would not have gratified his desire of 
exploring these parts any further, as he feared Pinzon might 
give a false account to the King and Queen, so as to escape 
the punishment which he deserved for his misconduct in 
abandoning the Admiral without leave, and thus hamper 
the benefits consequent upon the discovery. He trusted 
that our Lord would grant him a favorable passage and 
enable him to remedy all evils which had been done. 

Friday, January 4th. 
At sunrise they weighed anchor and stood out of the 
harbor with a light wind; they steered to the N W, passing 
the shoal by a channel much narrower than that by which 
they had entered. These are very good entrances to sail in 
to Villa de Navklad,^^ and contain from three to nine fath- 
oms of water, extending from N W, to S E. Here are shoals 
which reach from Cabo Santo to Cabo de iSlerte, over six 
leagues and extend three leagues into the sea. A league from 
Cabo Santo there are no more than eight fathoms of water, 
and within this cape towards the east, are many shoals with 
navigable channels. All this coast runs N W, and S E, and 
has a beach along its whole length; the land is very level for 

88 He called the fort and settlement here Villa de Navidad, because he 
arrived here on Christmas day. 



129 

f 

a distance of four leagues from the shore, when it becomes 
diversified with lofty mountains, the whole very populous and 
abounding with large towns. The ship continued along the 
coast to the E, in the direction of a very tall mountain, finely 
shaped like a tent, and which appears to be an island, but 
was found to be united to a low tract of country. This the 
Admiral named Monte Cristi, it is situated exactly E, of Cabo 
iSa/do at a distance of eighteen leagues (ten leagues) the ship 
was unable to get within six leagues of it to-day because of 
light wind. 

They found four sandy islets {-Los Siete Hennanos), with 
a reef extending to the N W, and S E. It is considered very 
shallow, and full of bars, and along the coast are many 
streams not navigable, although the sailor sent by the Ad- 
miral in the canoe, after the Pinta, reported that he saw a 
river which ships might enter. (Rio Tapion.) They anchored 
here in nineteen fathoms of water and three leagues from 
Monte Cristi, where they remamed all night, having kept off 
from land to avoid the numerous shoals hereabouts. The 
Admiral here gave directions for sailing to Villa de Navidad, 
but as the coast is now known it is not deemed necessary to 
reproduce them here. 

He concludes that Cipango must be in this island, and 
that it contains great stores of gold, spices, mastic and 
rhubarb. 

Saturday, January 5th. 

Just before sunrise set sail with a land breeze which later 
on shifted to the east. He saw to the S S E, from Monte 
Cristi, between it and the islet what appeared to be a good 
harbor in which to anchor for the night, and he stood S E 
and then S S E, six good leagues towards the mountain and 
he found after having gone this distance seventeen fathoms 
of clear water. Then it decreased to twelve fathoms up to 
the round of the mountain, and a league further on he found 
nine and all clear gravel bottom. Stood on his course until 
he entered between the mountain and the islet (Cabra or 
Goat Island) where he found three fathoms and a half of 
water at low tide, a very singular harbor, where he cast 



130 

anchor. He went in his boat to the islet where he found fires 
and traces that fishermen had been there. He saw here, 
many stones painted with colors or quarries of stones wrought 
by nature and very beautiful and, as he says, suitable for 
building churches or such buildings, as he had seen on the 
island of San Salvador. He also found on this island numer- 
ous mastic trees. This Muide Cristi, he says, is very beautiful, 
and high and easy to travel, and of attractive form.^^ All the 
land around it is low and picturesque; while the mountain is 
so high that seen from a distance it looks cut off from any 
other land. Beyond this mountain he saw a cape some twen- 
ty-four miles to the east which he named Cabo del Becerro 
(Punta Rucia), from which to the aforesaid mountain there 
extends through the water full two leagues of low reefs, 
although there seemed to be channels through them by which 
to enter, but this must be done in daylight and only after care- 
ful sounding with boats. From the said mountain eastward 
toward Cabo Becerro there are four leagues of beach and low 
land, but very pretty, and the rest is all high land, with lofty 
and beautiful mountains. Inland there is a range running 
from N E to S E, the most beautiful he had ever seen and 
which resembles his own mountain range of Cordoba. There 
are too, other lofty mountains in the distance, like unto those 
at Cristi in size and beaut}-. From here to the E and N E, 
the land is not so high and extends for about a hun- 
dred miles. 

Sunday, January 0th. 
This harbor is protected from all winds except the N and 
N E, and the Admiral says that these are not frequent here- 
abouts; and even these can be avoided behind the islet; it 
has a depth of three and, in some places four fathoms of 
water. At sunrise the caravel got under weigh to follow 
the coast which ran almost entirely to the E. It was ne- 
cessary to exercise the greatest vigilance because of the 
numerous rocks and sandbars. After noon a stiff easterly 
breeze sprung up, and the Admiral sent a sailor aloft to 

89 Las Casas says that this is true and that it looks like a sheaf 
of wheat. 



131 

watch out for bars. He soon discovered the caravel Pinta 
sweeping towards them before the wind. Seeing that all 
attempts to lay to were fruitless from the obstinacy of the 
adverse wind, and that there was no safe anchorage in the 
vicinity, the Admiral put back to a bay a little west 
of Monte Christi, whither he was followed by the 
Pinta. Pinzon came aboard the Nina where the Admiral 
was and began to make excuses for his deircrtion, alleging 
many reasons therefore but, the Admiral says they were 
all false, and that he had strayed away from him that 
night with much pride and envy, and the Admiral adds, 
that he does not know what could have given rise to that 
pride and dishonesty he had shown towards him during 
that voyage. The Admiral pretended to be satisfied with 
his excuses not wishing to " yield to the temptations of 
Satan, who sought to prevent the voyage, as he had done 
at the commencement. He was informed afterwards that 
Pinzon had been told by an Indian on board his vessel of 
a region to the eastward called Baneque abounding in gold, 
and as his caravel possessed superior sailing qualities, he 
decided to separate and go off by himself, leaving the Ad- 
miral. The latter wanted to delay and cruise around the 
islands of Juana and Ilispaniola, as they both lay to the E. 
Martin Alonzo went to Baneque, but found no gold there, 
he then became entangled among a cluster of small islands, 
and was finally guided by an Indian to Hispaniola, where 
he was told there was much gold and gold mines. In this 
way he came near the town of Navidad, some fifteen leagues 
some twenty days after his departure, from which it would 
appear that there was some truth in the report brought by 
the Indians whom Guacanagari had sent out with a canoe, 
and by the sailor sent out by the Admiral. The Pinta must 
have left the place before the canoe arrived. The Admiral 
says that Pinzon collected quite a quantity of gold, as for 
a strip of leather the natives gave them pieces as large as 
their two fingers and sometimes as large as a hand. Mar- 
tin Alonzo retained one half of all this for himself, and 
divided the rest among his men to secure their fidelity and 



132 

secrecy. The Admiral here remarks to his Sovereigns; "1 
am thus convinced, Your Majesties, that Providence ordained 
that my vessel should remain there because it is the best 
place on all the islands to establish a settlement and the 
most convenient to the gold mines." He also says that he 
learned that there is beyond the island of Juana to the 
south, another large island,*" on which there is much more 
gold than on this one, to such an extent, that they picked 
up the largest pieces there; while at Hispaniola the pieces 
of gold found in the mines were like grains of wheat. He 
says that island is called Yatuaye, The Admiral also learned 
that there was another island to the east inhabited solely 
by women, and that this was known to many persons; and 
that the island of lUxpanwla and the other island of Yamaye 
were near terra firma, ten days' journey by canoe, that the 
distance might be from sixty to seventy leagues, and that it 
was inhabited by a people who wore clothes. 

Monday, January 7th. 

This day was spent in pumping out water made by the 

caravel and in calking her. Some of the crew went ashore 

for wood and they came across large quantities of mastic 

and aloes. 

Tuesday, January 8th. 

An adverse easterly and southeasterly wind prevented the 
Admiral from setting sail to-day. He, therefore, ordered the 
caravel to be supplied with wood and water and with every- 
thing necessary for the voyage. Although he would much 
have preferred to have explored the coast of Hispaniola as 
far as possible, still having placed the caravels in command 
of captains who were brothers, such as Martin Alonzo Pinzon 
and Vicente Anes, who wath their adherents were actuated 
by pride and envy, and looked upon every thing now, as their 
own, (Columbus' ship being lost) who, notwithstanding all the 
honor that had been done them, continued as they had been 
doing, to disobey his orders; and who had said many things they 
should not have said against him; and considering that Mar- 

90 Jamaica. 



183 

tin Alonzo had deserted him from November twenty-first un- 
til January sixth, without cause or reason, and solely through 
disobedience; all of which the Admiral had borne in silence 
so as not to aggravate the difficulties of his voyage, and to 
get rid of such bad company, he says he was obliged to 
conceal his real feelings before these untoward people not- 
withstanding the fact that he had some honest people with 
him, it was no time to engage in punishment; he resolved 
to return to Spain, with all speed possible. He ordered the 
boats manned, therefore, and despatched them to a large 
river one league to the S S E, of Monte Cristi, where the 
sailors went to procure a supply of wood and water for 
the voyage. Many particles of gold were noticed among 
the sands at its mouth, and some were even found adher- 
ing to the hoops of the casks. ^^ The Admiral gave this 
river the name of Bio de Oro, or Golden River (now called 
Mio Santiago.) In this vicinity are three other rivers, which 
he thought must have much more gold than this one, because 
they are larger, seeing it is almost as large as the Guadal- 
quivir at Cordova. They are less than twenty leagues^^ dis- 
tant from the gold mines. The Admiral says that he did not 
wish to take any of this sand so full of gold, as their High- 
nesses had it at their very doors at the town of Navidad; but 
would hasten at once to give them an account of his expedi- 
tion, and get rid of the unreliable people by whom he was 
surrounded, and who were also untractable, 

Wednesday, January 9th. 
At midnight they set sail with a southeasterly wind, and 
steered to the E N E, in the evening they arrived and anchor- 
ed under the shelter of a cape sixty miles^^ east of Monte 
Christi, this he named Punta liooca.^^ Here were extensive 
shoals, on which account they did not leave that place through 
the night. The land from Monte Christi to the place where 

91 These were evidently particles of niarcasite, which abounds in 
this river 

93 Las Casas thinks it is less than four leagues. 

93 Forty-two miles according to other accounts. 

94 Punta Isabelica. 



134 



they anchored, was high but level, with beautiful fields, at a 
distance back appeared a chain of fine mountains running 
from E to W, covered with cultivation and presenting a most 
enchanting view; streams of water were also in abundance. 
All along the coast there are great multitudes of turtle, 
of which the sailors took some at Monte CJiristi, as they came 
on shore to lay their eggs. They were as big as a buckler of 
the largest size. The Admiral relates, that when on his visit 
to the liio de Oro yesterday, he saw three mermaids standing 
high out of the water, they had faces something similar to 
those of human beings, but were not so handsome as it was 
customary to represent them: he adds that he has formerly 
seen them in Guinea, upon the Pepper coast. This night, 
he says, he intends to set sail in the name of our Lord, with- 
out suffering himself to be detained here longer by anything; 
having accomplished the main object of his enterprise; and as 
he is anxious to free himself from the trouble which Martin 
Alonzo causes him, and inform the King and Queen of his 
voyage and performances, 'after which' says he 'I shall no 
more suffer the practices of worthless and malignant persons 
who behave with such disobedience and want of respect to 
one who has shown them so distinguished favors. 

Thursday, January 10th. 
They set sail from their anchorage, and at sunset came 
toariver,^^ which the Admiral named Bio de Gracia, its 
distance was three leagues to the S E. They anchored at 
the mouth, finding a convenient spot on the eastern side. 
There is a bank at the entrance, having but two fathoms of 
water, and the channel very narrow. Within is a harbour 
well inclosed, but abounding in worms, from which the cara- 
vel Pinta had suffered severely, she having been, while absent 
from the Admiral, sixteen days here, trading for gold, the 
thing Martin Alonzo was in quest of. It was ascertained 
that this man having learnt from the Indians that the Admiral 
was upon the coast, and he could not miss him, he resolved 
to return to his company, having endeavored to procure all 
95 Rio Chuzona Chico. 



135 

his crew to swear that they had been there but six days, but 
his villainy, says the Admiral was so apparent, that it could 
not be concealed. He had made regulations that the half of 
all the gold discovered, or obtained by barter, should be his 
property; and at leaving this place took six of the Indians, 
four men and two girls, on board his vessels by force; these 
the Admiral ordered to be clothed, and sent to their homes, 
which, he says, is for the service of Your Highnesses for they 
are all Your Highnesses subjects, especially those of this 
island, where the people should receive all favor and respect 
from us, as the place contains so many fine countries with 
gold and spicery, and the settlement which has been made.' 

Friday, January 11th. 

At midnight they sailed from Rio de Gracia, with a land 
breeze, proceeding four leagues to the E toward a cape which 
the Admiral named Belprado. S E, from this, at a distance, 
according to his account, of eight leagues, is a mountain 
which he called Monte de Pluta.^^ E by S eighteen leagues 
distant, is a cape which he named Caho del Angel. Between 
this and Monte de Plata is a gulf,^'' bordered by a most 
charming country, consisting of lofty and beautiful fields 
extending far into the land. At a distance back is a chain of 
mountains running from E to W, very tall and presenting a 
beautiful view. At the foot of the mountain above mention- 
ed is an excellent harbour^^ having fourteen fathoms depth 
at the mouth. This mountain is lofty and handsome, covered 
with settlements, and in the Admiral's opinion contains fine 
streams of water and much gold. 

Four leagues E, by S, of Cabo del A?igel is a point which 
he called Punta del Hierro.^^ 

Four leagues farther on is another, named by him, Punta 
Seca.^^'^ Another called Cnbo Pedondo^^^ six leagues beyond 
that. East from this last, is another which he named Cabo 

96 /Silver Mountain. It is very lofty, and always covered with a white 
cloud, which gives it a silvery appearance. 

97 Port of Saint Jago 98 Port Plate. 
99 Punta Macuris. 100 Punta Sesna. 101 Cabo de la Roca. 



I3r. 

Prances, beyond which is a bay^^s but which did not appear 
a good anchoring place. 

A league from the bay is a cape called Cabo del Buen 
Tiempo, and another league S, by E, from this, a cape which 
he named Tajado. To the south another was seen, appar- 
ently fifteen leagues distant. They made a great progress 
this day, as both the wind and the currents were favorable* 
Not daring to anchor for fear of the shoals, they lay to all 
night. 

Saturday, January 12th. 

At daybreak they stood to the east with a fresh breeze 
and sailed by sunrise twenty miles, the following two hours, 
twenty-four miles, when they discovered land in the south' <'•'* 
forty-eight miles distant. They found they had gone in the 
night, twenty-eight miles to the N N E. Standing for the 
land they discovered a cape which was named Cabo de Padre 
e Hijo,- *>* as it has toward the east two cliffs of unequal size 
Two leagues to the east, an opening was descried between 
two large mountains, which proved to be a fine large harbour 
with a good entrance. 

Being so early, they did not enter, not wishing to lose 
time, as the wind then blew from the N N W, although for 
the most part they had found it to blow from the E. 

Continuing their course E, they came to a cape which 
the Admiral called Caho del Et^amorado^ o* (the lover's cape) 
it was of craggy rock and very high, at a distance of thirty- 
two miles E, of the harbour above mentioned named by him 
Puerto jSaoro. From this place they discovered another 
promontory,'"" loftier and handsomer than the last, of a 
round shape and all of rock, like Cape Saint Vincent in Por- 
tugal; it was twelve miles E, of Cabo Enamorado. Arrived 
off this last, they discovered between these two headlands a 
very large bay'**'' of three leagues in breadth, wnth a little 
isle in the middle. They found the water deep in the mouth 
near the shore, where they anchored in twelve fathoms, and 

102 Bahia Escocesa. 103 The peninsula of Bamana. 

104 Cape of the Father and Son 105 Cabo Cabron. 

106 Cabo Samana. 107 Baye de Samana. 



187 



sent che boat for water, and to converse with the inhabitants 
but they all fled. The Admiral stopped here wishing to as- 
certain if this land was part of Espanola. He was astonished 
at the great size of the island. 

Sunday, January 13th. 

They did not sail as no land breeze blew. 

The Admiral wished to go in search of a better harbour, 
as this was somewhat unsheltered, and he was desirous of 
witnessing the conjunction of the sun, moon, and Mercury in 
opposition to Jupiter, which occasions high wands. The boat 
was sent on shore to procure ajes for provision; they landed 
upon a beach in the neighbourhood, and found several In- 
dians with bows and arrows; they entered into conversation 
with them, purchased their arms, and persuaded one of their 
number to accompany them on board the caravel, to visit the 
Admiral. 

This man was of a more unpleasing appearance than any 
that had yet been seen; his face was smutted all over with 
charcoal, though in all parts they are accustomed to paint 
themselves with a variety of colours. His hair was long, 
gathered and tied behind, and adorned with parrot's feathers. 
He was totally naked. The Admiral took him for one of the 
Oarihes who were man eaters, and believed that the gulf 
seen yesterday was a separation between Espanola and an- 
other island. He asked him for the Caribes and he answered 
by signs that their land w^as to the east in the neighbourhood: 
the Admiral says he saw it the day previous, before entering 
the bay. 

The Indians informed him that much gold existed there, 
and in masses as big as the stern of the caravel. He called 
the metal ttiob not understanding it by caona, as it was called 
in the other parts of the island, nor by nozay, which was the 
name of it in Sail Salvador, and the other islands. 

Copper or base gold was called in Espanola tuoh. The 
Indian also spake of the island of Matinino, which according 
to his account, was peopled by women without a single man, 
and contained much tuob; he described it as situated east of 



138 



Carib. Another island containing gold he called Goanin.'^^^ 
The Admiral says he had been informed of these islands some 
time before and by several persons. In all the islands they 
had visited, he declares that the inhabitants entertained great 
fear of Carib,\\h\ch in some parts are called Caniha, but in Es- 
panola Carib. He thinks them to be a warlike nation, as they 
make incursions upon the other islands and devour the pris- 
oners whom they take. He says he understood some words, 
and from these he made out other things, and that the In- 
dians he brought with him understood more but he found a 
difference in their language the further apart they were. He or- 
dered food to be given to the Indian, he also gave him a piece 
of red and green cloth and some glass beads, which they are 
very fond of, and sent him ashore, telling him to bring gold if he 
could find any, which he judged he might have from some little 
things he wore. When the boat reached the shore there were 
some fifty-five naked men concealed behind the trees. They 
wore long hair, like the woman of Castile. The backs of their 
heads were ornamented with feathers of parrots and other 
birds, and each man carried a bow. The Indian landed and 
induced the others to leave their bows and arrows, and 
a piece of stick which is like a ^ "' very heavy and 

which they carry after the manner of a sword. They came 
towards the boat, and those in the boat landed, and began to 
barter for their bows and arrows and other arms, as the Ad- 
miral had commanded them to do. They were only willing 
to part with two bows. They then suddenly ran to the 
place where they had concealed their arms, snatched them 
up and returned with ropes as if to bind and capture the 
Christians. Seeing them running towards them, and being 
prepared for them, for the Admiral had always cautioned 
them to be on the lookout, the Spaniards rushed upon them 
and wounded one Indian in the leg and another in the breast. 
The Indians seeing they had little to hope for, although there 

108 Ooanin, according to Las Casas, was the name given by the In- 
dians to a sort of inferior gold, which emitted an odor, and was highly 
prized by them. Carib was the Indian name for the island of Porto Rico. 

109 This blank occurs in the original. 



ia«) 



were only seven Spaniards against over fifty of them- 
selves, took to flight, leaving their weapons after them. The 
Spaniards would have killed some of them had they not been 
deterred from doing so by the pilot who acted as their Cap- 
tain. The Spaniards now returned to the caravel, and when 
the Admiral learned what, had happened, he said that while 
on the one hand he was sorry, on the other he was not, as they 
would now be afraid of the white people, and because they were, 
doubtless, bad people, and he was sure they were Carihs and 
that they ate human beings. He also thought that if the 
boat he had left to the thirty-nine men at Fort Natividad 
should happen to come this way the Indians would be afraid 
to harm them. If they were not Cariabs, they were, at least, 
frontier Indians, having the same manners and customs; a 
people without fear, and not like the others on the neighbour- 
ing islands who are timid and ignorant of the use of arms. 
All this, says the Admiral, and further, that he was anxious 
to secure some of them. He says they made many signals 
with smoke as was the custom among the people of His- 
paniola. 

Monday, January 14th. 

The Admiral wishing to make prisoners of some of the 
Indians, intended to dispatch the boat to land in the night to 
visit their houses for this purpose, but the wind blowing 
strong from the E and N E, occasioned a rough sea which 
prevented it. When the day came, a great many of the na- 
tives were seen on shore, and the Admiral sent the boat well 
armed to land. The Indians all came crowding around her 
and among them the one who had visited the caravel and 
received the presents the day before. With these also came 
a king of the country, who had dispatched this Indian with 
some beads to give the boat's crew in token of security 
and peace. The king with three of his men, entered the 
boat and went on board the caravel. The Admiral treated 
them with biscuit and honey, and gave the king a red 
cap, some beads, and red cloth; to the others he presented 
pieces of cloth, and dismissed them all highly pleased to 
land, the king informing him that he would bring him the 



140 

next day a golden mask, and that there was much of the 
metal at this place as well as in Carib and Jfartmino. The 
Admiral here states that the caravels were very leaky about 
the keels, and complains much of the calkers at Palos, who 
did their work very badly, and when this had been discov- 
ered by him, and he endeavored to make them mend it, 
had absconded. But he says in spite of the bad state of his 
vessels he confides in our Lord, that as he has brought him 
to these parts, so he will in his great mercy return him; 
for his Heavenly Majesty knew what struggles it had cost 
him to set on foot this enterprise, and that he alone had 
favored him before the King and Queen, all others in the 
most unreasonable manner opposing him. 

He adds, 'these last have been the cause that the Royal 
crown of Your Highnesses does not possess at this day an 
hundred millions of revenue more than when I entered 
your service, from which time it will be seven years the 
twentieth day of this month of* January, without mention- 
ing the increase to arrive hereafter. But Almighty God 

will remedy all,' 

Tuesday, January i5th. 

The Admiral wished to sail as his stay could no longer 
be of any profit, on account of the rupture with the In- 
dians. He says he has discovered that most of the gold 
is in the neighbourhood of Villa de la Kavidad, and that in 
the island of Carib, there is much copper, as also in J/ar- 
tinino. To explore the first, he thinks will be difficult, on 
account of the ferocity of the inhabitants, and the last is 
stated to be peopled solely by women. The island of Carib 
was seen from this place, and he determined, as they both 
lay in his route, to visit them and capture some of the na- 
tives. He sent the boat to land, where they found that the 
king had not arrived, his town being at a distance; he how- 
ever, sent his crown which was of gold, as he had promised 
the day before, and many of his men came bringing cotton, 
bread and ajes, all armed with bows and arrows. The traffic 
between them being finished there came four young Indians 
on board the caravel, where they gave so good an account 



141 

to the Admiral, of the island to the east, which lay in his 
course homeward, that he determined to take them along 
with him. Here he relates that he had discovered no iron 
nor any other metal but those already mentioned, in these 
quarters, although he acknowledges it impossible to learn 
much of the country while they were ignorant of the lan- 
guage, and were several da5's in making the people under- 
stand a single thing. The bows here, he describes as equal 
in size to those of France and England, and the arrows just 
like the javelins used by the inhabitants of the other isles, 
which are made of stalks of the cane while in seed; they are 
very straight, about a yard and a half in length, and doubled 
with a sharp piece of wood a span and a half long at the end; 
at the point of this some affix a fish's tooth, but the most of 
them grass. These arrows are shot in a manner which pre- 
vent their doing much harm. A great deal of cotton was 
found at this place very fine and long. Mastic trees were in 
abundance, and the bows of the Indians appeared to be made 
of yew. The land was found to produce much aje, which is 
the pepper of the inhabitants, and more valuable than the 
common sort; they deem it very wholesome and eat nothing 
without it. Fifty caravels might be loaded every year with 
this commodity at Espanola. The Admiral states that he 
found in this bay a great deal of that sort of weed which they 
met at sea upon their passage; on which account he imagin- 
ed there were islands extending to the east as far as the place 
where they first perceived it, as he held it for certain that 
this weed grew in shoal water near the land. He adds if the 
above be correct, these Indies must be very near the Canary 
Isles, in his opinion less than four hundred leagues distant. 

Wednesday, January 16th. 

Three hours before day they set sail from this gulf, 
which the Admiral named Golfo de las F'lechas,^'^'^ (the Gulf 
of Arrows.) 

They had at first a land breeze, which afterwards shift- 
ed to the west, when they steered east by north, for the island 

110 Baye de Samana. 



142 



of Carib which contained the people of whom all the other 
Indians stood in terror, as they were accustomed to scour all 
those seas with innumerable fleets of canoes, and devour 
their prisoners. One of the Indians whom they had taken 
at the place last quitted, directed them upon the route. After 
sailing, as they judged sixty-four miles, the Indian signified to 
them that the island was to the S E,m when they altered their 
course and proceeded in that direction and having sailed a 
couple of leagues, the wind freshened and blew very favora- 
bly for their return to Spain. 

The crew began to despond at leavingtheir course home- 
ward, on account of the leaky state of the vessels, there being 
no remedy for it but the help of God, and the Admiral found 
himself constrained to change his course anew, and steer 
directly for Spain. He accordingly shaped his route N E by 
E, and sailed by sunset forty-eight miles or twelve leagues. 
The Indians informed him that in this direction he would 
meet with the island of JIartinino, which was inhabited by 
women; the Admiral was very desirous to visit the place and 
carry five or six of the inhabitants to Spain, but doubted 
whether the Indians knew the course thither. Besides he was 
unwilling to be detained any longer with his leaky vessels. 

He says, however, that the fact respecting this island 
is certain, and that the inhabitants are visited at particular 
times of the year, by men from the isle of Carib which is 
about ten or a dozen leagues distant, and the male children 
which are born, they send to that place, but keep the fe- 
males themselves. The Admiral believed these islands to 
be at the S E, and not more than fifteen or twenty leagues 
from the place whence they had sailed, but he thought the 
Indians were unable to point out the way. Losing sight 
of a cape in Espanola, which he named iSati, Theramo,^^^ 
and which bore west, sixteen leagues distant, they sailed 
twelve leagues leagues E, by N. The weather was very fine. 



Ill Porto Rico. 112 Cape Samana. 



143 

Thursday, January 17th. 

At sunset yesterday, the wind abated a little, and they 
sailed for fourteen glasses, each of half an hour or a trifle 
less, till the first watch, going four miles an hour, which made 
twenty-eight miles. 

The wind then freshened and they sailed under it the 
whole watch, which was ten glasses, and afterwards six 
more till sunrise, at eight miles an hour, making in all 
eighty-four miles or twenty-one leagues N E by E. By 
sunset they sailed forty-four miles or eleven leagues further, 
in an easterly direction. 

Here a pelican came on board the caravel, and after- 
wards another. They saw much seaweed. ' i ^ 

Friday, January 18th. 

Kept on their course at night E by S, and sailed forty 
miles or ten leagues. 

Afterwards steered S E, by E, till sunrise thirty miles, 
which are seven leagues and a half. After sunrise sailed all 
day with light winds, from N E, and E, steering N, and N E, 
going on the whole sixty miles or fifteen leagues. But little 
seaweed was seen, and the Admiral says that yesterday and 
to-day the ocean was covered with tunnies, which as he thinks 
were accustomed to direct their course from these parts, to 
the fisheries where the Spaniards take them. A bird called 
a rabihorcado^ which flew about the caravel, and then went off 
to the S E, caused the Admiral to think there were islands 
in that quarter. ^ ^ * 

Saturday, January 19th. 

In the night they sailed fifty-six miles N by E, and sixty- 
four N E by N. After sunrise the wind blew fresh from E S 
E, and they stood N E, and afterwards N E, by N, going 
eighty-four miles, or twenty-one leagues. 

The sea was covered with tunnies of a small size, and 
they saw pelicans, tropic birds, and rabihorcados. 

113 There is a shoal in this neighbourhood, which they passed four 
leagues to the south. 

114 The Antilles or Windward Islands lay in this direction. 



144 



Sunday, January 20th. 

The wind died away at night, and afterwards blew in 
squalls; they sailed twenty miles to the S E, After sunrise 
eleven miles to the S E, and then thirty-six miles or nine 
leagues to the N N E. A vast number of small tunnies were 
seen; the air was fresh and soft as at Seville in April or May, 
and the sea 'many thanks to God' says the Admiral, always 
smooth. 

Rahihorcados, pardelas, and many other birds appeared. 

Monday, January 21st. 
Yesterday after sunset steered N quarter N E with the 
wind E N E. Sailed about eight miles an hour, which would 
make fifty-six miles. After that stood N N E, eighty miles an 
hour, and thus made during the whole night fifty-four miles 
which are equal to twenty-six leagues. After sunrise steered N 
N E, with the same wind to the east and sometimes a quarter 
to N E, and made eighty-eight miles in the eleven hours of the 
day, which make twenty-one leagues, deducting one which was 
lost in laying to near the caravel Pinta to hold converse with 
those on board. The air became cooler and we expected 
them to grow more so daily, the further north we went. Saw 
many bunches of weeds, sand pipers and other birds; but not 
so many fish, and the Admiral thinks this was due to the water 
being colder. Saw much grass. 

Tuesday, January 22d. 
Yesterday after sunset sailed N N E, under an east wind 
that veered to S E. Made eight miles an hour, according to 
the sand glass, and kept it up for seventy-two miles, which 
are eighteen leagues. After this veered a quarter N E by N, 
and made eighteen miles more. Continued at this rate until 
sunrise; when there was a calm. The Indians plunged into 
the sea and swam about the ships. Saw many bunches of 
weeds and much sea grass. 

Wednesday, January 23d. 
The wind was very changeable through the night, and 
with soundings and all precautions taken by mariners, the 



145 

vessels stood N E one quarter N, and made eighty-tour 
miles or twenty-one leagues. Many delays occurred waiting 
for the Pinta, the foremast of which was in such a bad con- 
dition that it could carry but little sail; and the Admiral 
remarked that if her captain, who was Martin Alonzo Pinzon, 
had taken as much care to provide himself with a good mast 
in the Indies, where the opportunities for doing so Were so 
frequent, as he did to fill the ship with gold, he would have 
been more secure. Many rushes and much grass were seen. 
The sky was very much disturbed these days, but there had 
been no rain and the sea continued as calm as a river, 
thanks be to God. 

After sunrise sailed due north nearly twenty miles or 
seven leagues and a half and then shifted to E N E, and 
made thirty miles more. 

Thursday, January 24th. 
Sailed to-night, considering the frequent shiftings of the 
wind to N E, some forty-four miles. From sunrise to sun- 
set, steered E N E, fourteen leagues. 

Friday, January 25th. 
Sailed last night to E N E, a good part of the night 
and made nine leagues and a half; then to N N E, and 
made six miles more. After sunrise, owing to a calm, went 
only twenty-eight miles further to E N E. The sailors 
killed a tunny fish and a large shark, and he says, they 
needed them badly, as their sea stock was reduced to bread 
and wine and agi peppers, which last they had learned 
from the Indians to use as an important article of food. 

Saturday, January 26th, 
Sailed E S E, fifty-six miles. After sunrise sailed part 
of the time E S E, and S E, and up to eleven o'clock in 
the morning made forty miles. Then took another tack 
and sailed with bowlines hauled, and kept on until night to 
the N, making twenty-four miles. 



146 



Sunday, January, 27th. 

From this date until the end of the month, Thursday, 
January 31st, the caravels kept on their course, makmg 
their usual speed, and encountering the mildest and most 
delightful weather, as pleasant as April in Castile. Weeds, 
sea grass, and aquatic birds were seen at given intervals, 
and some fishes, like gold fish came on board. Tunny fish 
were quite numerous, and gray sand pipers were seen from 
time to time. 

Friday, February 1st. 

Sailed all night E N E, sixteen and a half leagues. 
Through the day ran on the same course twenty-nine 
leagues and a quarter. The sea was smooth, thanks be 
to God. 

Saturday, February 2d. 

Sailed through the night forty miles, which make ten 
leagues. Through the day with the wind astern, made seven 
miles an hour, so that in eleven hours we made seventy- 
seven miles, which make nineteen and a quarter leagues. 
The sea was smooth, thanks be to God, and the air very balmy. 
Saw a large field of sea grass, which if we had not recog- 
nized we should have taken for shoals. Birds were also seen. 

Sunday, February 8d. 

Through the night sailing with this wind astern and on a 
smooth sea, thanks be to God, we made twenty-nine leagues. 

The north Star appeared to be very high in the heavens, 
as it is seen at Cape Saint Vincent. Could not take bearings 
with the astrolabe or quadrant because of the sea that was 
on. Through the day stood on course E N E and made 
ten miles an hour, and so in eleven hours made twenty-seven 
leagues. 

Monday, February 4th. 

Stood to-night E. one quarter N E, and part of the time 
made twelve miles an hour, and part ten miles, so that we 
made in all one hundred and thirty miles, which are twenty- 
two and a half leagues. The sky was dark and raining, and 
the weather was somewhat cold, by which the Admiral knew 



147 

that he had not arrived off the Azore islands. After sunrise 
changed course and stood to eastward. Made during the day 
seventy-seven miles, which are nineteen leagues and a 
quarter. 

Tuesday, February 5th. 
Kept an eastward course all night, and made forty-four 
miles, which are fourteen leagues lacking a half. Through 
the day made ten miles an hour, and then in eleven hours 
made one hundred and ten miles, which are twenty-seven 
leagues and a half. Saw some sand pipers and some sticks 
which indicated that we were near land. 

Wednesday, February 6th. 
Kept an eastern course all night, at the rate of eleven 
miles an hour, and in thirteen hours of night made one 
hundred and forty-three miles, which are thirty-five leagues 
and a quarter. Saw many birds. Through the day ran 
fourteen miles an hour, and thus through that day we made 
one hundred and forty-four miles, which are thirty-eight 
and a half leagues; so that between day and night we made 
about seventy-four leagues, Vincente Anes (Yanez) said 
that this morning the Isle de Flores lay to the north of us 
and Madeira to the east. Roldan said that the island of 
Fayal or that of Saint Gregory lay to the N E and Puerto 
Santo to the E. Abundance of sea grass was seen. 

Thursday, February 7th. 
Sailed all night to E, and made about ten miles an hour 
so that in thirteen hours we had made one hundred and 
thirty miles or thirty-two and a half leagues. Through the 
day ran eight miles an hour and in eleven hours we had 
made eighty-eight miles, or twenty-two leagues. This 
morning the Admiral was sixty-five leagues south of the 
Isle de Flores, and the pilot, Pedro Alonzo going north 
passed between Tercera and Santa Maria, and to the E, he 
left the weather shore of the island of Madeira twelve leagues 
to northwest. 

The sailors noticed grass and weeds different from what 



148 

they had been seeing, and of a kind that abounds among the 
Azore islands. Later on they saw some of the old kind. 

Friday, February 8th. 
To-night made only three miles an hour to eastward, 
for a while, and then stood a quarter S E. Made during the 
night twelve leagues. From sunrise till noon ran twenty- 
seven miles, and as many more before sunset, which make in 
all thirteen leagues to the S E. 

SATURDAY, February 9th. 
For a while during the night made three leagues to S E, 
and then S, a quarter S E; then stood to N E, up to ten 
o'clock m the morning five leagues more. From this until 
night ran nine leagues to E. 

Sunday, February 10th. 

After sunset kept on to the E, all night, and made 
one hundred and thirty miles. From sunrise till sunset made 
nine miles an hour, and thus made in eleven hours ninety- 
nine miles. 

On the Admiral's caravel, Vincente Yaiies and the two pi- 
lots, Sancho Ruiz and Pedro Alonzo Niiiaand Roldan consulted 
their charts or made points upon then, and all of them 
were far to the eastward of the Azores by their charts 
and sailing to the north none of them took in the island 
of Santa Maria which is the most remote of all the Azores. 
At first they were five leagues in front and they were in 
the vicinity of the island of Madeira or off Punto Santo. 
But the Admiral was very much out of the way from their 
calculations, finding himself farther off than they were be- 
cause on this night the island of Flores was north of him, 
and to the E, he was looking for Nafe in Africa, and he 
passed to the weather shore of the island of Madeira, to 
the north^i'' leagues. Thus, it appears that 

the pilots were much nearer Castile than the Admiral by 
one hundred and fifty leagues. He says that through the 

115 Here something is left out in the original. The whole text here 
seems very obscure. 



U9 

mercy of God, when they see land they will find out which 
was correct. He also says here that he was two hundred 
and sixty-three leagues from the island of Ferro, on his jour- 
ney out before he saw the first sea grass, etc. 

Monday, February 11th. 
Kept on our course through the night at the rate of 
twelve miles an hour, and made altogether thirty-nine 
leagues. During the day made sixteen leagues and a half. 
Saw many birds, which were believed to indicate a prox- 
imity to land. 

Tuesday, February r2th. 

Sailed due E, at the rate of six miles an hour, all 
through the night and by daylight had made seventy-three 
miles. The sea now began to rise and a storm arose, and 
even had the caravel been strong and seaworthy there 
woiild have been fear as to her safety. Made eleven or twelve 
leagues through the day but with much labor and danger. 

Wednesday, February 13th. 
From sunset until daylight much trouble was exper- 
ienced from wind and high seas and storm. Lightning 
was seen to the N N E, three different times, which was 
understood to mean that a great storm was coming from 
that direction or from the opposite. Ran under bare poles 
nearly all night; for a while a little sail was hoisted and 
made some forty-two miles. To-day the storm abated a 
little, but later on it increased in fury, and the sea be- 
came terrible and the waves crossed each other and broke 
over the vessels. Made fifty-five miles. 

Thursday, February 14th. 
In the night the wind increased and the sea was most 
tremendous, the waves crossing and dashing against one 
another so that the vessel was overwhelmed and not able 
to get out from between them. The foresail was set very 
low in order to carry her somewhat out of her dangerous 
situation; they stood under it for three hours, going twenty 
miles, when the wind and sea increasing, they began to 



150 

drive before it, not having any other remedy. At the same 
time the Pinta in which was Martin Alonzo, began to scud 
likewise, and they soon lost sight of her, although the two 
caravels made signals to one another by lights, until from 
the fury of the storm they were no longer perceptible. The 
Admiral drove all night to the N E by E, going fifty-four 
miles or thirteen leagues. At sunrise the wind still increas- 
ed, and the cross sea grew more and more terrible; they 
set the foresail again, low, to carry them out from between 
the waves, among which they expected to be crushed. 

They kept to the E N E, and afterwards to the N E, 
going in six hours thus, seven leagues and a half. The Ad- 
miral ordered that lots should be cast for one of them to go 
on a pilgrimage to Saint Mary of Guadalupe and carry a wax 
taper of five pounds weight; he caused them all to take an 
oath that the one on whom the lot fell, should perform the 
pilgrimage. 

For this purpose as many peas were selected as there 
were persons on board, one of them was marked with a cross, 
and the whole shaken together in a cap. The first who put 
his hand in was the Admiral, and he drew the crossed 
pea. So the lot fell upon him, and he looked upon himself 
as bound to accomplish the pilgrimage. Another lot was 
taken for a pilgrimage to Saint Mary of Loretto, in the 
marc of Ancona, territory of the Pope, which is the house 
where Our Lady has performed so many miracles, this fell 
upon a sailor of Puerto de Santa Maria, called Pedro de 
Villa; the Admiral promised to furnish him with money for 
his expenses. 

A third lot was determined upon, for the selection of 
a person who should watch a whole night in Santa Clara de 
Moguer, and have a mass said there; it fell again upon the 
Admiral. 

After this, he and all the crew made a vow to go in pro- 
cession, clothed in penitential garments, to the first church 
dedicated to Our Lady which they should meet with on ar- 
riving at land, and there pay their devotion. 

Besides these general vows every individual made his 



151 

private one, all expecting to be lost, so furious was the rage 
of the hurricane. 

Their danger was increased by the want of ballast in the 
vessel, as their provisions were mostly consumed, and their 
wine and water gone, which deficiencies the Admiral had 
neglected to supply among the islands, because he wished to 
husband his time in making discoveries, and expected to 
take in ballast at the isle of the women, which he intended to 
visit. All the remedy they could devise in the present ex- 
tremity was to fill with sea water such empty casks as they 
could get at, and in this manner they obtained some relief. 

Here the Admiral states the circumstances which caused 
him to fear that our Lord would suffer them to perish, and 
others which gave him hope that He would bring them safe 
to land, and not allow the important information which they 
were carrying to the King and Queen to be lost. He seems 
to have felt the most anxious desire to have his great discov- 
ery known, so that the world might be convinced the 
assertion made by him had been correct, and that he had 
accomplished what he professed himself able to do; the 
thought of this not being done, gave him the greatest inquie- 
tude, and he w^as perpetually in apprehension as the smallest 
trifle might defeat his whole undertaking^ i ^ He ascribes 
this to his want of faith and confidence in the Divine Provi- 
dence, but comforts himself in reflecting upon the many 
mercies God had shown him in having enabled him to con- 
quer all his adversities and hindrances in Castile, and accom- 
plish his great discovery. 

And as he had made the service of God the aim and 
business of his undertaking, and he had hitherto favored 
him m granting all his desire, he indulges a hope that he will 
continue that favor, and secure him a safe arrival. Espe- 
cially he reflected that he had delivered him when he had 
much greater reason for fear, upon the outward voyage at 
which time the crew rose up against him, and with an unani- 
mous and threatening voice, resolved to turn back but the 
eternal God gave him spirit and valour against them all, 
116 Cada mosquito le podia perturbar e impedir. 



152 

With these thoughts and the consideration of other wonderful 
favours he had experienced he says he ought not to be in fear 
of the tempest; but he adds that his apprehensions and the 
anguish of his mind would not allow him to rest; besides, he 
continues, his anxiety was increased in reflecting upon the 
state of his two sons whom he had left at their studies in 
Cordova, these would be left orphans in a foreign land, and 
the King and Queen being ignorant of the services he had 
rendered them by the voyage, would not have any inclination 
to provide for them. On this account, and that their High- 
nesses might be informed that our Lord had granted success 
to the enterprise in the discovery of the Indies, and might 
know that storms did not prevail in those quarters* * '' (which 
was apparent from the plants and trees growing down to the 
very brink of the sea) he devised a method of acquainting 
them with the circumstances of the voyage in case they should 
perish in the storm; this he performed by writing upon parch- 
ment an account of it, as full as possible, and earnestly 
entreating the finder to carry it to the King and Queen, of 
Spain. The parchment was rolled up in a waxed cloth, and 
well tied; a large wooden cask being then produced he placed 
it within, and threw in into the sea, none of the crew know- 
ing what it was, but all taking it for some act of devotion. 
Violent showers of rain followed and the wind shifted to the 
West, when they scudded before it under the foresail five 
hours, with a tremendous sea, going two leagues and a half 
to the N E. The mainsail was taken in, lest the sea should 
carry it away altogether. 

Friday, February 15th. 
After sunset last night the sky began to grow clear in the 
West, and the wind inclined to that quarter. The bonnet was 
set upon the mainsail. The sea was high, but abating. They 
steered E N E, four miles an hour, and during the night went 
thirteen leagues. At sunrise they discovered land ahead, 
117 It was a very fortunate circumstance for Columbus that he arrived 
in the West Indies so late in the year. The hurricane season was just past 
and had he reached there a month sooner it is probable one of those dread- 
ful tempests would have destroyed his whole fleet. 



153 

which some thought to be Madeira, and others the rock of 
Cintra near Lisbon. The land being about five leagues dis- 
tant, the wind suddenly came round to the E N E, directly- 
ahead. According to the Admiral's reckoning they were 
near the Azores, and he took this for one of those islands. 
The others were by their calculations near Spain. 

Saturday, February 16th. 

All night they beat against the wind for the land which 
was found to be an island. 

They stood to the N E, and N N E till sunrise when 
they hove about for the south, in quest of the island, 
which was hidden from them by clouds, and discovered 
another island astern, at the distance of eight leagues. 

From sunrise till night they continued beating for the 
island against a violent wind and heavy sea. At time of 
saying the Salve which is in the beginning of the night, a 
light was seen by some of the crew to leeward, which ap- 
peared to be the island first seen yesterday. All night they 
kept plying to windward, to discover if possible, the islands 
by sunrise. The Admiral took a little rest, having since 
Wednesday, neither slept nor been able to do so; he found 
himself exceedingly lame from exposure to the cold and 
waves and the little food which he had taken. At sunrise^^^ 
they steered S S W, and at night espied an island 
which by reason of the fog, they did not recognize. 

Monday, February ISth. 
After sunset last night they sailed round the island to 
find an anchorage and communicate with those on shore. 
An anchor was dropped which they quickly lost and were 
obliged to put to sea again, beating to windward all night. 
At sunrise they stood towards the north part of the island, 
where they once more cast anchor, and sending the boat to 
land, ascertained that it was the island of Saint Mary, one of 
the Azores. 

The inhabitants directed them to a harbour for the cara- 
118 This was Sunday February 17th. 



154 



vel, and declared that they had never witnessed a storm like 
that which had endured for fifteen days passed, and won- 
dered how the Spaniards had escaped. 

The islanders returned thanks to God, and rejoiced much 
to hear that the Admiral had discovered the Indies. Jle says 
that his reckoning had been very true, for which he gave 
many thanks to Our Lord. 

And although it apparently run a little beyond their true 
situation, yet he had held it for certain that they were in the 
neighborhood of the Azores, one of which isles he thought 
this to be upon the discovery of it. He adds that he suffered 
his reckoning to run ahead of their true progress for the pur- 
pose of humoring the pilots and others who made calculations 
these having manifested great dissatisfaction at finding his 
accounts differing from their own. 

Tuesday, February 19th. 
At sunset three men came down to the beach and hailed 
the ship. A boat was sent ashore and the three men got in 
and came on board bringing chickens and fresh bread. It 
was Shrove Tuesday and they brought other thmgs sent by 
the captain of the island, whose name was Juan de Castaneda, 
who said that he knew the Admiral very well, and that it 
being night he could not come on board, but that he would 
do so in the morning, and would bring with him more refresh 
ments and would also bring with him the three men belong- 
ing to the caravel who had been detained, and that he did 
not send them now because of the great pleasure it afforded 
him to hear them tell about their voyage. The Admiral or- 
dered the messengers to be treated with great respect, and 
had beds prepared for them that they might pass the night 
comfortably, as it was late and the town was some distance 
away. And because on the Thursday previous, when they 
saw the storm raging they made the vow that was mentioned 
above, and the one, that at the first land they should reach 
where there was a chapel to Our Lady, they were to go in 
penitential garb, etc, he willed that half of his crew should go 
to fulfill it to a house that was near the sea, like a hermitage, 



155 

and that he would go with the other half when they returned. 
Seeing that it was a secure land, and confiding m the offer of 
the Captain and in the peace that prevailed between Portu- 
gal and Castile, he requested the three men to return to the 
town and ask a priest to come and say Mass for them. The 
crew then went in compliance with their vow, and while they 
were at prayer, the whole population on horseback and on 
foot fell upon them, and with the captain, arrested them alh 
After a while the Admiral, suspecting nothing, and awaiting 
the return of the boat, so that he might go with the rest of 
the crew to perform their part of the obligation, when 
eleven o'clock came and seeing that they did not return, 
began to suspect that something had occurred, that they 
were detained, or that the boat had foundered, because the 
whole island, is surrounded with high reefs. The hermit- 
age being around a point of rocks the Admiral was unable 
to see what was gomg on, so he weighed anchor and made 
for a point in view of the hermitage, when he saw many 
horsemen who dismounted and entered the boat with arms 
in their hands, and who were making for the caravel with 
the object of capturing the Admiral. The captain rose in 
the boat and asked for assurance of personal safety of the 
Admiral. The latter granted it, but, at the same time de- 
manded to know what had happened that he saw none of 
his people in the boat. The Admiral added that he might 
come on board the caravel and that he would comply with 
any wishes he might make. The Admiral was anxious to 
attract him with fair words so as to gain possession of his 
person and thus hold him as a hostage for the return of 
his own men; not considering that he was violating the 
promise of security, said he, after offering them peace and 
friendship, as they had broken faith with him. The captain, 
as he says, coming with evil intentions did not dare to come on 
board. Seeing that he would not come on board, the Admiral 
asked him his reason for detaining his crew, and added that 
the King of Portugal would be sorry for it; that in the land 
of the Sovereigns of Castile the Portuguese were always re- 
ceived with great honors; that they could enter Spanish ports 



156 

and be as secure as they were in Lisbon, and that the Sover- 
eigns had given him letters of recommendation lo all Princes 
and Lords and men of the world, and that he would show 
them to him if he would come on board, that he was the Ad- 
miral of the Ocean and Viceroy of the Indies, which now 
belonged to their Highnesses, that he was ready to show 
these provisions signed with their hands and sealed with their 
seals, all of which he showed the captain from a distance. 
Also, that the Sovereigns were in much love and friendship 
with the King of Portugal, that he had been commanded to 
do all the honor he could to any ships he might come 
across from Portugal. Furthermore, that if he refused to re- 
lease his crew, he would go on to Castile as he had men enough 
on board to enable him to reach Seville, and that the captain 
and his people would be severely punished for doing him 
such an injustice. Then the captain and his followers replied 
that they did not recognize the King and Queen of Castile, 
nor their letters, nor were they afraid of them, and that they 
would let them know what Portugal was, and this was said 
in a threatening tone. Uuon hearing this the Admiral was 
much troubled, not knowing whether any misunderstanding 
or disagreement had taken place between the two Kingdoms 
during his absence; he could not bear not to answer them as 
they deserved. This done, he says, the captain stood up at a 
distance and told the Admiral to go with the caravel into the 
harbor, and that all he had done or was doing was done by 
command of his King and Lord, to which the Admiral called 
those in the caravel to bear witness to, and then he called to 
the captain and to all his people, and gave them his word, and 
promised them, upon his honor, not to leave his caravel until 
he had carried off with him one hundred Portuguese to Cas- 
tile and had depopulated their entire island. And then he 
returned to anchor where he was at first because the wind 
and weather were too bad to permit him to do anything else. 

Wednesday, February 20th. 

The Admiral commanded the ship to be trimmed and the 
casks to be filled with sea water, for ballast, because he was 



157 

in a very poor harbor and he feared his moorings would be 
cut, and this really happened. He at once steered for the 
island of San Miguel, although there is not a good harbor in 
any of the Azores, in weather like he was then having, so he 
had no alternative but to put to sea. 

Thursday, February 21st. 

Yesterday left the island of Santa Maria for San Miguel 
to find a harbor that would afford him shelter in the bad 
weather, he was having. The wind was high and the sea 
much agitated, and he ran until night without being able to 
make out the shore either on one side or the other because of 
the mist and darkness caused by wind and sea. The Admiral 
says that he was not vsrithout uneasiness, inasmuch as he had 
but three sailors who were good seamen, because the majori- 
ty of those on board had very little knowledge of the sea. 
He stood out all night with much tempest and no little dan- 
ger, and the Lord was merciful to him in permitting the sea 
and the waves to come only in one direction, because had the 
cross seas continued as before, his peril would have been very 
great. 

When daylight came and the island of San Miguel not 
being in sight, he resolved to return to Santa Maria, in hopes 
that his crew might succeed in recovering the anchor and 
moorings they had left there. 

He said he was surprised at such bad weather as had 
prevailed on those islands and in these parts, because in the 
Indies he had sailed all that winter without anchoring; and 
there was always fine weather, and that for not one single 
hour did he see the sea in such a condition as to prevent safe 
sailing; and that on reaching these islands he had encounter- 
ed such terrible storms, and the same had befallen him as far 
as the Canary Islands; but after leaving them he always had 
smooth seas and pleasant weather. In conclusion, the Ad- 
miral says that the sacred theologians and learned philoso- 
phers well said that the earthly paradise is at the extremity 
of the east, because it is a most temperate region; and the 
lands he had now discovered, as he says, lay to the extreme 
East. 



158 



Friday. Ferruary 22d. 
Yesterday, anchored off the Island of Santa Maria, in 
the place where they had anchored before, and then there 
came a man who appeared upon some rocks that were along 
the coast, telling them not to go away from there. Shortly 
afterwards the boat arrived with five sailors and two priests 
and a notary. They asked for personal security and when 
assured of it by the Admiral, they boarded the caravel and 
because it was late at night slept on board, and the Admiral 
treated them with all the honors possible. In the mornmg 
they required him to show his letters of commission from 
the Sovereigns of Castile so that he might answer to them 
how, with their authority, he had made that voyage. The 
Admiral felt that they did this to cover up any appearance of 
wrong in their action towards him; because they had not 
been able to secure the person of the Admiral, which they 
intended to do, having come out to the caravel with arms 
in their hands; but on seeing that the game had gone 
against them, and through fear caused by the Admiral's 
threats, and which he fully intended to carry out they 
sought to justify thamselves. Finally, in order to obtain 
the release of his men, the Admiral restrained his indigna- 
tion and showed them the general letter of recommenda- 
tion of the Sovereigns to all Princes and Lords, together 
with other documents. He entertained them and sent 
them on shore where they went quite contented, and 
soon all the boat's crew returned to the ship. From 
the sailors who had been detained it was learned that the 
King of Portugal had issued orders to his commanders of 
islands and distant ports to seize and detain the Admiral 
wherever he should be met with. 

Saturday, February 23d. 

Yesterday the weather began to improve and he weighed 
anchor and cruised around the island to find a good anchor- 
age and to obtain a supply of wood and stones for ballast, but 
he was unable to find a suitable place before Complines. 



159 

Sunday, February 24th. 
Cast anchor yesterday afternoon to take on wood and 
stone, and because the sea was too rough the boat could not 
land, and about the first watch at night, it began to blow W, 
and S W. He ordered sail set because of the great danger 
there is along that coast m being caught at anchor by a south 
wind. The wind veered later from S E, to E. Seeing that 
this was good weather for making Castile, he did not wait 
for wood and stone, and stood to E, and by sunrise, which 
was six hours and a half off, he made seven miles an hour or 
forty-five and a half miles. From sunrise to sunset he ran 
six miles an hour, and in eleven hours made sixty-six miles, 
which with the forty-five made during the night, made one 
hundred and eleven and a half miles. 

Monday, February 25th. 
Kept on course due E, and between night and day ran 
one hundred and thirty-one miles. The sea was calm thanks 
be to God. A large bird like an eagle came aboard the 
caravel. 

Tuesday, February 2t;th. 

Kept on course due E, with a smooth sea. Made eight 
miles and hour at night and made twenty-five leagues. After 
sunrise, with little wind, and some heavy rain, made eight 
leagues more to E N E. 

Wednesday, February 27th. 
On this day deviated from regular course of head wind 
and heavy seas, and found the ship to be within one hundred 
and twenty-five leagues from Cape Saint Vincent and eighty 
from the island of Madeira, and one hundred and six from 
Santa Maria. The Admiral's fortitude almost gave way in 
fear of so many perils and delays when he was almost at the 
very doors of his home. 

Thursday, February 28th. 
Kept on in the same way through the night with winds 
shifting from S to S E, and later in the day from N E to 
E N E. 



160 

Friday, March 1st. 
Kept on course through the night to E, one quarter N 
E, and made twelve leagues. Through the day ran E, one 
quarter N E, twenty-three and a half leagues. 

Saturday, March 2d. 
Continued same course, made twenty-eight leagues 
through the night and twenty during the day. 

Sunday, March 3d. 
After sunrise kept on her course to the E, A squall of 
wind struck the caravel and tore all her sails, and left her in 
great danger, but God delivered them from it. A lot was 
cast to send a pilgrim barefooted to the shrine of Santa Maria 
de la Cueva, in Huelva, and as usual, the lot fell upon the 
Admiral. The whole crew also made a vow, in case their 
lives were spared, to fast upon bread and water on the follow- 
ing Saturday. They went about sixty miles before their sails 
were rent and then scudded under bare poles through the 
terrible storm and cross sea. They saw signs of the proxi- 
mity of land, and found they were near Lisbon. 

Monday, March 4th. 

Last night the crew of the caravel endured such terrible 
torments, that they thought they were lost. The sea came 
upon them from two sides,and the wind seemed to lift the car- 
avel into the air; the rain fell in torrents and frequent flashes 
of lightning were seen. But the Lord was pleased to bear 
them up, and they kept on m this way until the first watch 
when the good Lord led them in sight of land. They knew not 
where they were nor where to look for a harbor; they dread 
ed being driven upon shore or dashed upon rocks. Taking in 
sail, therefore, they kept to sea as miich as possible, and 
waited anxiously for the morning light. At daybreak they 
found themselves off the Rock of Cintra, at the mouth of the 
Tagus, into which river the Admiral determined to run for 
shelter as he had no alternative. The inhabitants told them 
that they had been all that morning praying for them, and 



161 

when the ship had made the river in safely, they came o£E 
from all sides to congratulate them on their miraculous pre- 
ser\^ation. The oldest mariners of the place assured the Ad- 
miral they had never known so tempestuous a winter; twen- 
ty-five Flemish vessels had been lost, and many others had 
remained for months in port, weather bound. The Admiral 
wrote immediately to the King of Portugal, who was nine 
leagues from there, how the Sovereigns of Castile had com- 
manded him not to fail to enter His Highnesses ports and to 
get whatever he needed at their expense, and that the King 
would be pleased to send him permission to go up to the city 
of Lisbon, because some adventurers and unprincipled per- 
sons, thinking that his ship was freighted with gold, might, 
if he remained in a sparsely inhabited neighborhood, be led 
to commit some depredation; also that it might be known 
that he did not come from Guinea, but from the Indies. 

Tuesday, March 5th. 

To-day, the executive officer of the large vessel of the 
King of Portugal, which was also anchored off Rastelo, and 
which was thoroughly equipped with guns and small arms, 
the like of which, it is said, was never seen, came alongside 
the caravel in a well armed launch and ordered the Admiral 
to enter his launch and report to the officer of the King on 
the said ship. The Admiral replied that he was Admiral to 
the Sovereigns of Castile and that it was not his place to 
report to such as they; that he would not leave his ship for 
theirs unless compelled to do so by force of arms. The offi- 
cer then asked him to send the master of the caravel; the 
Admiral replied that neither the master nor any one on board 
the caravel would go on board his vessel except under com- 
pulsion, because to send a representative would be the same 
as if he went himself, and that it was the custom of the Ad- 
mirals of Castile to die rather than do anything unbecoming 
their dignity either personally or by proxy. The officer here- 
upon moderated his demand, told the Admiral to do as he 
pleased, but requested him to send him, for inspection, the 
letters of the Sovereigns of Castile if he had them. The Ad- 



162 

miral consented to show them to him, and the latter returned 
to his ship and reported all that had happened to the captain, 
Alvaro Dama, who with great pomp and ceremony and blow- 
ing of trumpets came aboard the caravel and had an inter- 
view with the Admiral, and offered to do anything he should 

desire. 

Wednesday, March (5th. 

As it became known that the Admiral had come trom the 
Indies, to-day such a large number of people from Lisbon 
came to see him and the Indians that it was really wonderful; 
so also were the wonderful things they did and giving thanks 
to God and saymg that because of the good faith of the Kings 
of Castile, they felt a desire to serve God since in His good- 
ness He had given them so much. 

Thursday, March 7th. 
To-day an infinite number of people came to the caravel 
and many nobles and the officers of the King and all joined 
in giving the most grateful thanks to the Lord for the many 
blessings and for the great increase to Christianity He had 
vouchsafed to the King of Castile, all of which, they said, was 
well merited because their Highnesses had worked and exerted 
themselves so much for the advancement of the religion 
of Christ. 

Friday, March Sth. 

To-day the Admiral received a letter from the King of 
Portugal through Don Martin de Noroiia, in which he invit- 
ed him to go where he was and as the weather was not fit for 
the caravel to set sail he did so in order to remove suspicion 
though he did not desire to go. He went and spent the night 
at Sacanben. The King commanded his officers that every- 
thing the Admiral or his crew on the caravel required should 
be given them without charge, and that the Admiral's wishes 
should be respected in everything. 

Saturday, March 9th. 
Set out to-day from Sacanben to go where the King was 
which was in Valparaiso, nine leagues from Lisbon. On ac- 
count of the rain he was unable to reach there before night. 



The King- sent the chief men of his household to receive him 
with all honors, and the King also received him with great 
state, and showed him great favor, commanded him to be 
seated, and spoke very kindly to him and assured him that he 
would order done whatever would be most pleasing to the 
Kings of Castile, and all the more cheerfully on his account. 
He manifested great pleasure at the successful termination of 
the voyage, but that he understood that according to the 
capitulations of the treaty that had been entered into be- 
tween the Kings and himself, that conquest belonged to him. 
The Admiral replied that he had never seen those capitula- 
tions nor was he aware of anything except that the Kings had 
commanded that he should not go to La Mina nor to Guinea, 
and that notice of this had been sent to all the ports in 
Andalusia before the voyage was undertaken. The King 
graciously replied that he was sure that in this matter no 
third party would be required. He made the Admiral the 
guest of the Prior of Clato, who was the principal person 
there, and from whom the Admiral received many honors 
and favors. 

Sunday, March 10th. 
To-day after mass the King again asked the Admiral 
whether he needed anything, and assured him that if he 
did it would be given him at once. He talked at great 
length with the Admiral about his voyage, and always com- 
manded him to be seated and did him much honor. 

Monday, March 11th. 
To-day he took leave of the King who sent some mes- 
sages on his part to the Kings of Castile and always ex- 
pressing great affection for them. He departed after dinner 
and the King sent with him Don Martin de Noroiia, and 
all the noblemen around accompanied him and cheered his 
way. Later on he came to the Monastery of San Antonio, 
which is at a place called Villafranca, where the Queen 
was, and he stopped there to do her reverence and to kiss 
her hands, because she had sent him word not to depart 
until she had seen him. With her was the Duke and Mar- 



1G4 

quis; she received the Admiral with much honor. The 
Admiral set out at nightfall and went as far as Llandra 
where he spent the night. 

Tuesday, March 12th. 
As the Admiral was about to set out from Llandra for 
the caravel one of the King's esquires arrived and offered 
him, on the part of the King, saying that if he desired to 
go to Castile by land, that the esquire should go with him 
to house him and secure horses and such other accommo- 
dations as he might require. When the Admiral parted 
from him the esquire presented him with a mule and 
another to the pilot he had with him, and he says that to 
the pilot he sent a gratuity of tw^enty espadines;i ^^ as the 
Admiral learned. All this, he says, was done that the Kings 
might hear of it. He arrived at the caravel at night. 

Wednesday, March 13th. 
To-day, at eight o'clock, with the high tide and the wind 
N N W, weighed anchor and set sail for Seville. 

Thursday, March 14th. 
Yesterday after sunset followed course due S, and be- 
fore sunrise was off Cape Saint Vincent, which is in Portugal. 
After this they stood to eastward headed for Saltes, and 
sailed all day under a light wind until noon, when they were 
off Turon. 

Friday, March, 15th. 

Yesterday after sunset, the ship kept on her course until 
morning under a light wnnd and at sunrise they were off 
Saltes, and now, at noon, with the rising tide, crossed the bar 
of Saltes and entered the harbor from which they had sailed 
on August 3d of last year, and he says that he now finished 
this record, except that he desires to go by sea to Barcelona, 
in which city he learned that their Highnesses were sojourn- 
ing. This he would do so as to give them an account of the 
voyage which Our Lord had permitted him to make, and he 

119 Twenty-eight dollars gold of the present day. Equivalent to $74. 
considering the depreciation. 



165 

was anxious to enlighten them upon it. For, most assuredly 
he felt that God doeth all things well, and that everything is 
good except sm, and that no word can bespoken, nor thought 
that can be hidden from Him. "All this," says the Admiral, 
"I know from this voyage which has shown it to be so in a 
most wonderful manner, as can be seen from this record of 
the many miracles indicated by me which He has performed 
during the voyage, and to me, who was for so long a time at 
the court of Your Highnesses with opposition and against the 
notions of so many of the principal personages of Your house- 
hold, all of whom were agamst me and holding me up to 
ridicule. I trust in the Lord that this success will be to the 
greatest honor of Christianity." These are the last words of 
the Admiral Don Cristobal Colom concerning his first voyage 
to the Indies and his discovery of them. 

The foregoing is a copy of the letter of the Bishop Fray 
Bartolome de las Casas which is still in existence in the archives 
of the Most Excellent Lord Duque of the Infantado in a little 
folio volume hound in paTchmeiit^ icith 76 pp, small type. 



SECOND VOYAGE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 

This description of the second voyage of Columbus has been 
given in Latin by Peter Martyr, of Anghiera, in lib, ii 
of his "Decades;" but as Doctor Chanca,' a native of 
Seville, who was physician to the fleet in that voyage 
and was an eye witness of the events he related, has writ- 
ten an account of it in a letter to the Chapter of Seville, 
it has been deemed advisable to take his account in pre- 
ference to that of Peter Martyr, which is made up only 
from information gathered from hearsay. Moreover, 
Doctor Chanca's description, while it in no way contra- 
dicts that of Peter Martyr, is more agreeably written, 
and mentions some few incidents that are omitted in the 
narrative of the latter. 

Most Noble Sir: — Since the occurrences which I relate in 
private letters to other persons, are not of such general in- 
terest as those which are contained in this episode, I have 
resolved to give you a distinct narrative of the events of our 
voyage, as well as to treat of the other matters which form 
the subject of my petition to you. The news I have to com- 
municate are as follows: The expedition which their Catholic 
Majesties sent by Divine permission from Spain to the Indies, 
under the command of Christopher Columbus, Admiral of the 
Ocean, left Cadiz on the twenty-fifth of September, of the 
year^ with wind weather favorable for the 

voyage. 

The vi^ind lasted two days, during which time we man- 

1 Doctor Chanca was appointed physician to Columbus's fleet by a dis- 
patch of the 28d of May, 1493, and on the 24th, the chief accountants were 
instructed to paj' him salary and rations as scrivener in the Indies. The 
curate of Los Palacios makes mention of Doctor Chanca and had this same 
narration before him, as may be seen in the one hundred and twentieth 
chapter of his manuscript "History of their Catholic Majesties" (M. F.- de 
Navarrete.) 

2 A similar gap in the original: it should say of the year 1493. 



167 

aged to make fifty leagues; the weather then changing, we 
made little or no progress for the next two days; it pleased 
God, however, after this, to restore us fine weather, so that in 
two days more we reached the Great Canary. Here we put 
into harbour, which we were obliged to do, to repair one of 
the ships which made a great deal of water; we remained 
all that day, and on the following set sail again, but were 
several times becalmed, so that we were four or five days 
before we reached Gomera. We had to remain at Gomera 
one day to lay in our stores of meat, wood, and as much 
water as we could stow, preparatory to the long voyage 
which we expected to make without seeing land: thus 
through the delay at these two ports, and being fixed in 
a calm one day after leaving Gomera, we were nineteen 
or twenty days before we arrived at the island of Ferro. 
After this we had, by the goodness of God, a return of fine 
weather, more continuous than any fleet ever enjoyed during 
so long a voyage; so that leaving Ferro on the thirteenth of 
October, within twenty days we came in sight of land; and 
we should have seen it in fourteen or fifteen days, if the ship 
Cajyuana had been as good a sailer as the other vessels; for 
many times the others had to shorten sail because they were 
leaving us much behind. During all this time we had great 
good fortune, for throughout the voyage we encountered no 
storms, with the exception of one on Saint Simon's eve which 
for four hours put us in considerable jeopardy. On the first 
Sunday after All Saints, namely the third of November about 
dawn, a pilot of the ship Capitana cried out: "The reward, 
I see the land!" The joy of the crew was so great that 
it was wonderful to hear their cries and exclamations of 
pleasure; and they had good reason to be delighted, for 
they had become so wearied of bad living, and of working 
the water out of the ships, that all sighed most anxiously 
for land. The pilots of the fleet, reckoned on that day, that 
between leaving Ferro and first reaching land, we had made 
eight hundred leagues; others said seven hundred and 
eighty (so that the difference was not great), and three hun- 
dred more between Ferro and Cadiz, making in all eleven 



168 

hundred leagues; I do not therefore feel as one who had 
not seen enough of the water. . On the morning of the 
aforesaid Sunday, we saw lying before us an island, and 
soon on the right hand another appeared: the first^ w^as 
high and mountainous, on the side nearest to us: the other* 
fiat and very thickly wooded; as soon as it became lighter, 
other islands began to appear on both sides; so that on 
that day, there were six islands to be seen lying in differ- 
ent directions, and most of them of considerable size. 

We directed our course towards that which w^e had 
first seen, and reaching the coast, we proceeded more than 
a league in search of a port where we might anchor, but 
without finding one: all that part of the island which we 
could observe, appeared mountainous, very beautiful, and 
green even up to the water, which was delightful to see 
for at that season, there is scarcely any thing green in our 
own country. 

When we found that there was no harbour there the 
Admiral decided that we should go to the other island, 
which appeared on the right, and which was at four or 
five leagues distance: one vessel however still remained on 
the first island all that day seeking for a harbour, in case 
it should be necessary to return thither. At length having 
found a good one, where they saw both people and dwell- 
ings, they returned that night to the fleet, w-hich had put 
into harbour at the other island, ^ and there the Admiral ac- 
companied by a great number of men, landed with the royal 
banner in his hands, and took formal possession on behalf of 
their Majesties. This island was filled with an astonishingly 
thick growth of wood; the variety of unknown trees, some 
bearing fruit and some flowers, was surprising, and indeed 
every spot was covered with verdure. We found there a tree 
whose leaf had the finest smell of cloves that I have ever met 

3 The island of Dominica, which is so called from having been discov- 
ered on a Sunday (M. F. de Navarrete.) 

4 The island Marigalante, which was so called from the name of the 
ship in which Columbus sailed. (M. F. de Navarrete.) 

5 Marigalante. 



169 

with; it was like a laurel leaf, but not so large: but I think 
it was a species of laurel. There were wild fruits of various 
kinds, some of which our men, not very prudently tasted; 
and upon only touching them with their tongues, their coun- 
tenances became inflamed," and such great heat and pain 
followed, that they seemed to be mad, and were obliged to 
resort to refrigerants to cure themselves. We found no signs 
of any people in this island, and concluded it was uninhabited; 
we remained only two hours, for it was very late when we 
landed, and on the following morning we left for another 
very large island "" situated below this at the distance of seven 
or eight leagues. We approached it under the side of a 
great mountain, that seemed almost to reach the skies, in the 
middle of which rose a peak higher than all the rest of the 
mountain, whence many streams diverted into different chan- 
nels, especially towards the part at which we arrived. At 
three leagues distance, we could see an immense fall of water, 
which discharged itself from such a height that it appeared 
to fall from the sky; it was seen from so great a distance that 
it occasioned many wagers to be laid on board the ships, some 
maintaining that it was but a series of white rocks, and others 
that it was water. When we came nearer to it, it showed it- 
self distinctly, and it was the most beautiful thing in the 
world to see from how great a height and from what a small 
space so large a fall of water was discharged. As soon as 
we neared the island the Admiral ordered a light caravel to 
run along the coast to search for a harbour; the captain put 
into land in a boat, and seeing some houses, leapt on shore 
and went up to them, the inhabitants fleeing at sight of our 
men, he then woit into the houses and there found various 
household articles that had been left unremoved, from which 
he took two parrots, very large and quite different from any 
we had before seen; he found a great quantity of cotton, both 
spun and prepared for spinning, and articles of food, all of 
which he brought away a portion; besides these, he also 

6 One would infer from this that it was the fruit of the manzanillo, 
which produces similar effects. (M. F. de Navarrete.) 

7 Guadaloupe. 



no 

brought away four or five bones of human arms and legs. 
On seeing these we suspected that we were amongst the Car- 
ibbee islands, which are inhabited by cannibals: for the Ad- 
miral, guided by the information respecting their situation 
which he had received from the Indians of the islands dis- 
covered in his former voyage, had directed his course with a 
view to their discovery, both because they were the nearest 
to Spam, and because this was the direct track for the island 
of Espailola, where he had left some of his people. Thither, 
by the goodness of God and the wise management of the Ad- 
miral, we came in as straight a track as if we had sailed by a 
well known and frequented route. 

This island is very large, and on the spot where we ar- 
rived it seemed to us to be twenty-five leagues in length. 
We sailed more that two leagues along the shore in search of 
a harbour; on the part towards which we moved appeared 
very high mountains, and on that which we left extensive 
plains; on the sea coast there were a few small villages 
whose inhabitants fled as soon as they saw the sails: at length 
after proceeding two leagues we found a port late in the even- 
ing. That night the Admiral resolved that some of the men 
should land at break of day in order to confer with the na- 
tives, and learn what sort of people they were; although it 
was suspected, from the appearances of those who had fled at 
our approach, they were naked, like those whom the Ad- 
miral had seen on his former voyage. In the morning sev- 
eral detachments under their respective captains went forth; 
one of them arrived at the dinner hour, and brought away a 
boy of about fourteen years of age, as it afterwards appeared 
who said that he was one of the prisoners taken by these peo- 
ple. The others divided themselves, and one party took a 
little boy whom a man was leading by the hand, but who left 
him and fled; this boy they sent on board immediately with 
some of our men; others remained, and took certain women, 
natives of the island, together with other woinen, from 
among the captives who came of their own accord. One 
captain of this last company, not knowing that any intelligence 
of the people had been obtained, advanced farther into the 



171 



island and lost himself with the six men who accompanied 
him: they could not find their way back until after four days, 
when they lighted upon the sea shore, and following the line 
of coast returned to the fleet. ^ We had already looked upon 
them as killed and eaten by the people that are called Carib- 
bees; for we could not account for their long absence in 
any other way, since they had among them some pilots 
who by their knowledge of the stars could navigate either 
to or from Spain, so that we imagined that they could not 
lose themselves in so small a space. On this first day of 
our landing several men and women came on the beach 
down to the water's edge, and gazed at the ships in aston- 
ishment at so novel a sight; and when a boat pushed on 
shore in order to speak with them, they cried out "tayno, 
tayno," which is as much as to say, "good, good," and 
waited for the landing of the sailors, standing by the boat 
in such a manner that they might escape when they pleased. 
The result was, that none of the men could be per- 
suaded to join us, and only two were taken by force, who 
were secured and led away. More than twenty of the 
female captives were taken with their own consent, and 
other women natives of the island were surprised and car- 
ried off: several of the boys, who were captives, came to 
us fleeing from the natives of the island who had taken 
them prisoners. We remained eight days in this port in 
consequence of the loss of the aforesaid captain, and went 
many times on shore, passing amongst the dwellings and 
villages which were on the coast; we found a vast number 
of human bones and skulls hung up about the houses, like 
vessels intended for holding various things. There were 

8 It was Diego Marquez, the caterer, who with eight other men went 
on shore into the interior of the island, without permission from the Ad- 
miral, who caused him to be sought for by parties of men with trumpets, 
but without success One of those who were sent out with this object, was 
Alonzo Ojeda. who took with him forty men, and on their return they re- 
ported that they had found man}^ aromatic plants, a variety of birds, and 
some considerable rivers. The wanderers were not able to find their way 
to the ships until the eighth of November. (M. F. Navarrete's note, from 
Bartholomeo de las Casas' manuscript. History, chap. 84.) 



172 

very few men to be seen here, and the women informed 
us that this was in consequence of ten canoes having gone 
to make an attack upon other islands. These islanders ap- 
peared to us to be more civilized than those that we had 
hitherto seen; for although all the Indians have houses of 
straw, yet the houses of these people are constructed in a 
much superior fashion, are better stocked with provisions, 
and exhibit more evidences of industry, both on the part 
of the men and the women. They had a considerable 
quantity of cotton, both spun and prepared for spinnmg, 
and many cotton sheets, so well woven as to be no way 
inferior to those of our country. We enquired of the women, 
who were prisoners in the island, what people these 
islanders were; they replied that they w^ere Caribbees. As 
soon as they learned that we abhorred such people, on ac- 
count of their evil practices of eating human flesh, they 
were much delighted; and, after that, if they brought for- 
ward any woman or man of the Caribbees, they informed 
us (but secretly), that they were such, still evincing by 
their dread of their conquerors, that they belonged to a 
vanquished nation, though they knew them all to be in our 
power. We were enabled to distinguish which of the women 
were natives, and which were captives, by the Caribbees 
wearing on each leg two bands of woven cotton, the one 
fastened round the knee, and the other round the ankle; 
by this means they make the calves of their legs large, 
and the above mentioned parts very small, which I imag- 
ine that they regard as a matter of refinement; by this 
peculiarity we distinguished them. The habits of these 
Caribbees are brutal. There are three islands: the one 
called Turuqueira; the other, which w^as the first that we 
saw, is called Ceyre; the third is called Ayay: there is a 
resemblance amongst all these, as if they were of one race, 
and they do no injury to each other; but each and all of 
them w^age war against the other neighbouring islands, and 
for the purpose of attacking them, make voyages of a 
hundred and fifty leagues at sea, with their numerous ca- 
noes, which are a small kind of craft with one mast. Their 



173 

arms are arrows, in the place of iron weapons, and as they 
have no iron, some of them point their arrows with tortoise 
shells, and others make their arrow heads of fish spines, 
which are naturally barbed like coarse saws: these prove 
dangerous weapons to a naked people like the Indians, and 
may inflict severe injury, but to men of our nation, are 
not very formidable. In their attacks upon the neighbour- 
ing islands, these people take as many of the woman as 
they can, especially those who are young and beautiful, 
and keep them as concubines; and so great a number do 
they carry off, that in fifty houses no men were to be seen; 
and out of the number of the captives, more than twenty 
were young girls. These women also say that the Carib- 
bees use them with such cruelty as would scarcely be be- 
lieved; and that they eat the children which they bear to 
them, and only bring up those which they have by their 
natural wives. Such of their male enemies as they can take 
alive, they bring to their hoiises to make a feast of them, 
and those who are dead they devour at once. They say 
that man's flesh is so good, that there is nothing like it in 
the world; and this is pretty evident, for of the bones which 
we found in their houses, they had gnawed everything that 
could be gnawed, so that nothing remained of them, but 
what from its great hardness, could not be eaten; in one of the 
houses we found the neck of a man, undergoing the pro- 
cess of cooking. When they take any boys prisoners, they 
dismember them, and make use of them until they grew up 
to manhood, and when they wished to make a feast they kill 
and eat them; for they say the flesh of boys and women is 
not good to eat. Three of these boys came fleeing to us thus 
mutilated. At the end of four days arrived the captain who 
had lost himself with his companions, of whose return we had 
by this time given up all hope; for other parties had been 
twice sent out to seek him, one of which came back on the 
same day that he rejoined us, without having gained any in- 
formation respecting the wanderers: we rejoiced at their 
arrival, regarding it as a new accession to our numbers. The 
captain and the men who accompanied him brought back 



174 



sonie women and boys, ten in number: neither this party, 
nor those who went out to seek them, had seen any of the 
men of the island, which must have arisen either from their 
having fled, or possibly from their being- very few men in that 
locality, for, as the women informed us, ten canoes had gone 
away to make an attack upon the neighbouring islands. The 
wanderers had returned from the mountains in such an ema- 
ciated condition, that it was distressing to see them; when we 
asked them how it was that they lost themselves, they said 
that the trees were so thick and close that they could not see 
the sky; some of them who were mariners had climbed the 
trees to get a sight of the stars, but could never see them, 
and if they had not found their way to the sea coast, it would 
have been impossible to have returned to the fleet. We left 
this island eight days after our arrival. » The next day at 
noon we saw another island, ^ " not very large, at about twelve 
leagues distance from the one we were leaving; the greater 
part of the first day of our departure were kept close in to 
the coast of this island by a calm, but as the Indian women 
whom we brought with us said that it was not inhabited, but 
had been dispeopled by the Carribees, we made no stay in it. 
On that evening we saw another island, ^^ and in the night 
finding there were some sand banks near, we dropped anchor, 
not venturing to proceed until the morning. On the morrow 
another island ^^ appeared, of considerable size, but we touch- 
ed at none of these because we were anxious to convey con- 
solation to our people who had been left in Espanola, but it 
did not please God to grant us our desire, as will hereafter 
appear. Another day at the dinner hour we arrived at an 
island^^ which seemed to be worth finding, for judging by 
the extent of cultivation in it, it appeared very populous. 
We went thither and put into harbour, when the Admiral 

9 The}' left on Sunday the 10th of November. (M. F. de Navarrete.) 

10 The island Montserrat. (M. F. de Navarrete.) 

11 The Admiral called it Santa Maria la Redonda. (M, F de Na- 
varrete.) 

12 Santa Maria la Antigua. 

13 The island of Saint Martin. 



175 



immediately sent on shore a well manned barge to hold 
speech with the Indians, in order to ascertain ot what race 
they were, and also because we considered it necessary to 
gain some information respecting our course; although it 
afterwards plainly appeared that the Admiral, who had 
never made that passage before, had taken a very correct 
route. But since doubtful questions ought always by inves- 
tigation to be reduced as nearly to a certainty as possible, 
he wished that communication should be held with the na- 
tives at once, and some of the men who went in the barge 
leaped on shore and went up to a village, whence the inhab- 
itants had already withdrawn and hidden themselves. They 
took on this island five or six women and some boys, most 
of whom were captives, like those on the other island; we 
learned from the women whom we had brought with us, 
that the natives of this place, also were Carribees. As this 
barge was about to return to the ships with the capture 
which they had taken, a canoe came along the coast, con- 
taining four men, two women, and a boy; and when they 
saw the fleet they were so stupefied with amazement, that 
for a good hour they remained motionless at the distance 
of nearly two gunshots from the ships. In this position 
they were seen by those who were in the barge and also 
by all the fleet. Meanwhile those m the barge moved to- 
wards the canoe, but so close inshore, that the Indians, in 
their perplexity and astonishment as to what all this could 
mean, never saw them, until they were so near that escape 
was impossible; for our men pressed on them so rapidly 
that they could not get away, although they made consid- 
erable effort to do so. When the Carribees saw that all 
attempt at flight was useless, they most courageously took 
to their bows, both women and men; I say most courag- 
ageously, because they were only four men and two women, 
and our people were twenty-five in number. Two of our 
men were wounded by the Indians, one with two arrow 
shots in his breast, and another with one in his side, and 
if it had not happened that they carried shields and wooden 
bucklers, and that they got near them with the barge and 



176 

upset their canoe, most of them would have been killed 
with their arrows. After their canoe was upset, they re- 
mained in the water swimming and occasionally wading (for 
there were shallows in that part,) still using their bows as 
much as they could, so that our men had enough to do to 
take them: and after all there was one of them whom they 
were unable to seciire till he had received a mortal wound 
with a lance, and whom thus wounded they took to the 
ships. The difference between these Carribees and the other 
Indians, with respect to dress, consists in their wearing 
their hair very long, while the others have it dipt irregu- 
larly and paint their heads with crosses and a hundred 
thousand different devices, each according to his fancy; 
which they do with sharpened reeds. All of them, both 
the Carribees and the others, are beardless, so that it is a 
rare thing to find a man with a beard: the Carribees whom 
we took had their eyes and eyebrows stained, which I im- 
agine they do from ostentation and to give them a more 
formidable appearance. One of these captives said, that in 
an island belonging to them called Cayre (which is the first 
wc saw though we did got go to it,) there is a great quan- 
tity of gold; and that if we were to take them nails and 
tools with which to make their canoes, we might bring 
away as much gold as we liked. On the same day we left 
that island, having been there no more than six or seven 
hours; and steering for another point of land^* which ap- 
peared to lie in our intended course, we reached it by 
night. 

On the morning of the following day we coasted along 
it, and found it to be a large extent of country, but not con- 
tinuous, for it was divided into more than forty islets. ^^ 
The land was very high and most of it barren, an appear- 
ance which we have never observed in any of the islands 
visited by us before or since, the surface of the ground 

14 The island of Santa Crvz, where they anchored on Thursday the 
fourteenth of November. (M. F. de Navarette.) 

15 The Admiral named the largest of these islands Saint Ursula, and 
all the others The eleven thousand Virgins. (M. F. dcNavarrete.) 



177 

seemed to suggest the probability of its containing metals. 
None of us went on shore here, but a small latteen caravel 
went up to one of the islets and found in it some fisher- 
men's huts; the Indian women whom we brought with us 
said they were not inhabited. We proceeded along the 
coast the greater part of the day, and on the evening of 
the next we discovered another island called Burenquen,!^ 
which we judged to be thirty leagues in length, for we 
were coasting along it the whole of one day. This island 
is very beautiful and apparently fertile: hither the Carri- 
bees come with the view of subduing the inhabitants, and 
often carry away many of the people. These islanders 
have no boats nor any knowledge of navigation; but, as 
our captives inform us, they use bows as well as the Carri- 
bees, and if by chance when they are attacked they succeed 
in taking any of their invaders, they will eat them in like 
manner as the Caribbees themselves, in the contrary event 
would devour them. 

We remained two days in this island, and a great num- 
ber of our men went on shore, but could never get speech 
of the natives, who had all fled, from fear of the Carribees. 
All the above mentioned islands were discovered in this 
voyage, the Admiral having seen nothing of them, in his 
former voyage; they are all very beautiful and possess a 
most luxuriant soil, but this last island appeared to exceed 
all the others in beauty. Here terminated the islands 
which on the side towards Spain had not been seen before 
by the Admiral, although we regard it as a matter of cer- 
tainty that there is land more than forty leagues beyond 
the foremost of these newly discovered islands, on the side 
nearest to Spain. 

We believe this to be the case, because two days before 
we saw land we observed some birds called rabihorcados 
or (pelicans, marine birds of prey which do not sit or sleep 
upon the water,) making circumvolutions in the air at the 
close of evening previous to taking their flight towards land 

16 The island of Porto Rico, to which the Admiral gave the name of 
Saint John the Baptist. (M. F. de Navarrete.) 



178 

for the night. These birds could not be going to settle at 
more than twelve or fifteen leagues distance, because it 
was late in the evening, and this was on our right hand, 
on the side towards Spain; from which we all judged that 
there was land there still undiscovered; but we did not go 
in search of it, because it would have taken us round out 
of our intended route. 1 hope that in a few voyages it 
will be discovered. It was at dawn that we left the before 
mentioned island of Burenquen,^ '' and on that day before 
nightfall we caught sight of land, which though not recog- 
nized by any of those who had come hither in the former 
voyage, we believed to be Espanola, from the information 
given us by the Indian women whom we had with us: and 
in this island we remain at present. ^^ Between Espanola 
and Burenquen^^ another island appeared at a distance, 
but of no great size. When we reached Espanola the land, 
at the part where we approached it, was low, and very 
flat,2" on seeing which, a general doubt arose as to its 
identity; for, neither the Admiral nor his companions, on 
the previous voyage, had seen it on this side. The island 
being large, it was divided into provinces; the part which 
we first touched at, is called Hayti; another province ad- 
joining it, they called Xamana; and the next province is 
named Bohio, where we now are. These provinces are 
again sub-divided, for they are of great extent. Those who 
have seen the length of its coast, state that it is two hun- 
dred leagues long, and I, myself, should judge it not to be 
less than a hundred and fifty leagues: as to its breadth, 
nothing is hitherto known; it is now forty days since a 
caravel left us with the view of circumnavigating it, and is 
not yet returned. The country is very remarkable, and 
contains a vast number of large rivers, and extensive chains 
of mountains, with broad open valleys, and the mountains 

17 Porto Rico. 

18 On Friday the twenty-second of November, the Admiral first caught 
sight of the island of Espanola. (M. F. de Navarrete.) 

19 La Mona and Monito. (M. F. de Navarrete.) 

20 Cape Engano, in the island of Espanola. 



179 

are very high: it does not appear that the grass is ever cut 
throughout the year. I do not think they have any winter 
in this part, for near Navidad (at Christmas) were found 
many bird's nests, some containing the young birds, and 
others containing eggs. No four-footed animal has ever 
been seen in this or any of the other islands, except some 
dogs of various colours, as in our country, but in shape 
like large house dogs; and also some little animals, in 
colour, size, and fur like a rabbit, with long tails, and feet like 
those of a rat; these animals climb up the trees, and many 
who have tasted them, say they are very good to eat:^! 
there are not any wild beasts. There are great numbers 
of small snakes, and some lizards, but not many; for the 
Indians consider them as great a luxury as we do pheas- 
ants: they are of the same size as ours, but different in 
shape. In a small adjacent island^s (close by a harbour 
called Monte Christo, where we stayed several days,) our 
men saw an enormous kind of lizard, which they said was 
as large round as a calf, with a tail as long as a lance, 
which they often went out to kill: but bulky as it was, it 
got into the sea so that they could not catch it. 

There are, both in this and other islands, an infinite 
number of birds like those in our own country, and many 
others such as we had never seen. No kind of domestic 
fowl has been seen here, with the exception of some ducks 
in the houses in Zuruquia; these ducks are larger than 
those of Spain, though smaller than geese, very pretty, 
with tufts on their heads, most of them as white as snow, 
but some black. We ran along the coast of this island near- 
ly a hundred leagues, concluding that within this range we 
should find the spot where the Admiral had left some of 
his men, and which we supposed to be about the middle 
of the coast. As we passed by the province called Xam- 
ana, we sent on shore one of the Indians who had been 
taken in the previous voyage, clothed, and carrying some 

21 In all probability a species of capromys. 

22 Cabra, or Goat island, between Puerto de Plata, and Cas Rouge 
Point. 



180 

trifles, which the Admiral had ordered to be given him. 
On that day died one of our sailors, a Biscayan, who had 
been wounded in the affray with the Caribbees, when they 
were captured, as I have already described, through their 
want of caution. As we were proceeding along the coast, 
an opportunity was afforded for a boat to go on shore to 
bury him, the boat being accompanied by two caravels to 
protect it. When they reached the shore, a great number 
of Indians came out to the boat, i^ome of them wearing 
necklaces and earrings of gold, and expressed a wish to 
accompany the Spaniards to the ships; but our men refused 
to take them, because they had not received permission 
from the Admiral. 

When the Indians found that they would not take them 
two of them got into a small canoe, and went up to one of 
the caravels that had put into shore; they were received 
on board with great kindness, and taken to the Admiral's 
ship, where, through the medium of an interpreter, they 
related that a certain king had sent them to ascertain who 
we were, and to invite us to land, adding that they had 
plenty of gold, and also of provisions, to which we should 
be welcome. The Admiral desired that shirts and caps, 
and other trifles should be given to each of them, and said 
that as he was going to the place where Guacamari dwelt, 
he would not stop then, but that on a future day he should 
have the opportunity of seeing him, and with that they 
departed. 

We continued our route till we came to an harbour 
called Monte Christi, where we remained two days, in or- 
der to observe the position of the land, for the Admiral 
had an objection to the spot where his men had been left 
with the view of forming a station. We went on shore 
therefore to survey the formation of the land: there was a 
large river of excellent water close by;^^ the ground 
was inundated, and very ill calculated, for habitation. As 
we went on making our observations on the river and the 
land, some of our men found two dead bodies by the river 
23 The river of Santiago. 



181 

side, one with a rope round his neck, and the other with 
one round his foot: this was on the first day of our landing. 
On the following day they found two other corpses farther 
on, and one of these was observed to have a great quantity 
of beard; this was regarded as a very suspicious circum- 
stance by many of our people, because, as I have already 
said, all the Indians are beardless. This harbour is twelve 
leagues^* from the place where the Spaniards had been 
left under the protection of Guacamari, the king of that 
province, whom I suppose to be one of the chief men of 
the island. After two days we set sail for that spot, but 
as it was late when we arrived there,^^ and there were 
some shoals, where the Admiral's ship had been lost, we 
did not venture to put in close to the shore, but remained 
that night at a little less than a league from the coast, 
waiting until the morning, when we might enter securely. 
On that evening, a canoe, containing five or six Indians 
came out at a considerable distance from where we were, 
and approached us with great celerity. 

The Admiral believing that he insured our safety by 
keeping the sails set, would not wait for them, they, how- 
ever, perseveringly rowed up to us within gunshot, and then 
stopped to look at us; but when they saw that we did not wait 
for them, they put back and went away. After we had an- 
chored that night at the spot in question, ^e the Admiral 
ordered two guns to be fired, to see if the Spaniards, who 
had remained with Guacamari, would fire in return, for 
they also had guns with them; but when we received no 
reply, and could not perceive any fires, nor the slightest 
symptoms of habitation on the spot, the spirits of our people 
became much depressed, and they began to entertain the suspi- 
cion which the circumstances were naturally calculated to ex- 

24 It is onl)'^ seven leagues. 

25 The Admiral anchored at the entrance of the harbour of Navidad, 
on Wednesday, the twenty-seventh of November, towards midnight, and 
on the following day, in the afternoon, put into the harbour. (M, F. de 
Navarrete.) 

26 The Bay of Caracol, four leagues west of Fort Dauphin. 



182 

cite. While all were in this desponding mood, and when four or 
five hours of the night had passed away, the same canoe 
which we had seen in the evening, came up, and the Indians 
with a loud voice addressed the captain of the caravel, 
which they first approached, inquiring for the Admiral; 
they were conducted to the Admiral's vessel, but would not 
go on board till he had spoken to them, and they had ask- 
ed for a light, in order to assure themselves that it was he 
who conversed with them. One of them was a cousin of 
Guacamari, who had been sent by him once before; it ap- 
peared that after they had turned back the previous even- 
ing, they had been charged by Guacamari with two masks 
of gold as a present: one for the Admiral, the other for a 
captain who had accompanied him on the former voyage. 

They remained on board for three hours, talking with 
the Admiral in the presence of all of us, he showing much 
pleasure in their conversation, and enquiring respecting the 
welfare of the Spaniards whom he had left behind. Gua- 
camari's cousin replied, that those who remained were all 
well, but that some of them had died of disease, and others 
had been killed in quarrels that had arisen amongst them: 
he said also that the province had been invaded by two 
kings named Caonabo and Mayreni, who had burned the 
habitations of the people; and that Guacamari was at some 
distance, lying ill of a wound in his leg, which was the 
occasion of his not appearing, but that he would come on 
the next day. 

The Indians then departed, saying they would return 
on the following day with the said Guacamari, and left us 
consoled for the night. On the morning of the next day 
we were expecting that Guacamari would come; and in the 
meantime, some of our men landed by command of the 
Admiral, and went to the spot where the Spaniards had 
formerly been: they found the building which they had 
inhabited, and which they had in some degree fortified with a 
palisade, burnt and leveled with the ground; they found also 
some rags and stuffs which the Indians had brought to 
throw upon the house. They observed too that the Indians 



183 

who were seen near the spot, looked very shy, and dared 
not approach, but, on the contrary, fled from them. 

This appeared strange to us, for the Admiral had told 
us that in the former voyage, when he arrived at this place 
so many came in canoes to see us, that there was no 
keeping- them off; and as we now saw that they were sus- 
picious of us, it gave us a very unfavorable impression. 

We threw trifles, such as buttons and beads, towards 
them, in order to conciliate them, but only four, a relation 
of Guacamari's and three others, took courage to enter the 
boat, and were rowed on board. When they were asked 
concerning the Spaniards, they replied that all of them 
were dead: we had been told this already by one of the 
Indians whom we had brought from Spain, and who had 
conversed with the two Indians that on the former occasion 
came on board with their canoe, but we had not believed 
it. Guacamari's kinsman was asked who had killed them : 
he replied that King Caonabo and King Mayreni had made 
an attack upon them, and burnt the buildings on the spot, 
that many were wounded in the affray, and among them 
Guacamari, who had received a wound in his thigh, and 
had retired to some distance: he also stated that he wished 
to go and fetch him; upon which some trifles were given 
to him, and he took his departure for the place of Gua- 
camari's abode. All that day we remamed in expectation 
of them, and when we saw that they did not come, many 
suspected that the Indians who had been on board the 
night before, had been drowned, for they had had wine 
given them two or three times, and they had come in a 
small canoe that might be easily upset. The next morning 
the Admiral went on shore, taking some of us with him; 
we went to the spot where the settlement had been, and 
found it utterly destroyed by fire, and the clothes of the 
Spaniards lying about upon the grass, but on that occasion 
we saw no dead body. There were many different opinions 
amongst us: some suspecting that Guacamari himself was 
concerned in the betrayal and death of the Christians; 
others thought not, because his own residence was burnt: 



184 

SO that it remained a very doubtful question. The Ad- 
miral ordered all the ground which had been occupied by 
the fortifications of the Spaniards to be searched for he had 
left orders with them to bury all the gold that they might 
get. While this was being done, the Admiral wished to 
examine a spot at about a league's distance, which seemed 
to be suitable for building a town, for there was yet time 
to do so; and some of us went thither with him, making our 
observations of the land as we went along the coast, until 
we reached a village of seven or eight houses, which the 
Indians forsook when they saw us approach, carrying away 
what they could, and leaving the things which they could 
not remove hidden amongst the grass, around the houses. 
These people are so degraded that they have not even the 
sense to select a fitting place to live in; those who dwell on the 
shore, build for themselves the most miserable hovels that can 
be imagined, and all the houses are so covered with grass and 
dampness, that I wonder how they can contrive to exist. 
In these houses we found many things belonging to the 
Spaniards, which it could not be supposed they would have 
bartered; such as a very handsome Moorish mantle, which 
had not been unfolded since it was brought from Spain, stock- 
ings and pieces of cloth, also an anchor belonging to the 
ship which the Admiral had lost here on the previous voy- 
age; with other articles, which the more confirmed our sus- 
picions. On examining some things which had been very 
cautiously sewn up in a small basket, we found a man's head 
wrapped up with great care; this we judged might be the 
head of a father, or mother, or of some person whom they 
much regarded; I have since heard that many were found in 
the same state, which makes me believe that our first impres- 
sion was the true one. After this we returned. We went on 
the same day to the site of the settlement; and when we ar- 
rived, we found many Indians, who had regained their cour- 
age, bartering gold with our men: they had bartered to the 
extent of a mask: we also learned that they had shown where 
the bodies of eleven of the dead Spaniards were laid, which 
were already covered with the grass that had grown over them; 



183 

and they all with one voice asserted that Caonabo and Kay- 
reni had killed them; but notwithstanding all this, we began 
to hear complaints that one of the Spaniards had taken three 
women to himself, and another four; from whence we drew 
the inference that jealousy was the cause of the misfortune 
that had occurred. On the next morning, as no spot in that 
vicinity appeared suitable for our making a settlement, the 
Admiral ordered a caravel to go in one direction to look for 
a convenient locality, while some of us went with him an- 
other way. In the course of our explorations, we discovered 
a harbour of great security; the neighbourhood of which, so 
far as regarded the formation of the land, was excellent for 
habitation; but as it was far from any mine of gold, the 
neighbourhood of which was very desirable, the Admiral de- 
cided that we should settle in some spot which would give us 
greater certainty of attaining that object, provided the posi- 
tion of the land should prove equally convenient. On our 
return we found the other caravel arrived, in which Mel- 
chior and four or five other trustworthy men had been ex- 
ploring with a similar object. They reported that as they 
went along the coast, a canoe came out to them in which 
were two Indians, one of whom was the brother of Guacam- 
ari, and was recognized by a pilot who was in the caravel. 
When he questioned them as to their purpose, they replied 
that Guacamari sent to beg the Spaniards to come on shore, 
as he was residing near with as many as fifty families around 
him. The chief men of the party then went on shore in a 
boat, proceeded to the place where Guacamari was, and found 
him stretched on his bed, complaining of a severe wound. 
They conferred with him, and inquired respecting the 
Spaniards; his reply was in accordance with the account 
already given by the others, viz;— that they had been killed 
by Caonabo and Mayreni, who also had wounded him in 
the thigh; and in confirmation of his assertion, he showed 
them the limb bound up: on seeing which, they concluded 
that his statement was correct. At their departure he gave 
to each of them a jewel of gold, according to his estima- 
tion of their respective merits. The Indians beat the gold 



186 

into very thin plates, in order to make masks of it, and 
set in a cement which they make for that purpose: other 
ornaments they make of it, to wear on the head and to hang 
in the ears and nostrils, for these also they require it to be 
thin; it is not the massiveness of the gold that they admire 
in their ornaments, but its showy appearance. Guacamari 
desired them by signs and as well as he was able, to tell 
the Admiral that as he was thus wounded, he prayed him 
to have the goodness to come to see him. This adventure 
the aforesaid sailors related to the Admiral when he arrived. 
The next morning he resolved to go thither, for the spot could 
be reached in three hours, being scarcely three leagues 
distance from the place where we were; but as it would 
be the dinner hour when we arrived, we dined before we 
went on shore. After dinner, the Admiral gave orders that all 
the captains should come with their barges to proceed to 
the shore, for already on that morning, previous to our de- 
parture, the aforesaid brother of Guacamari had come to 
speak with the Admiral to urge his visit. Then the Admiral 
went on shore accompanied by all the principal officers, so 
richly dressed that they would have made a distinguished 
appearance even in any of our chief cities: he took with 
him some articles as presents, having already received from 
Guacamari a certain quantity of gold, and it was reasonable 
that he should make a commensurate response to his acts 
and expressions of good will. Guacamari had also provided 
himself with a present. When we arrived, we found him 
stretched upon his bed, which was made of cotton net-work, 
and, according to their custom, suspended. He did not 
arise, but made from his bed the best gesture of courtesy 
of which he was capable. He showed much feeling; with 
tears in his eyes lamented the death of the Spaniards, and 
began speaking on the subject, with explaining to the best 
of his power, how some died of disease, others had gone 
to Caonabo in search of the mine of gold, and had there 
been killed, and that the rest had been attacked and slam 
in their own town. According to the appearance of the 
dead bodies, it was not two months since this had happened. 



187 

Then the Admiral presented him with eight marks and a 
half of gold, six hundred and five pieces of jewelry, of var- 
ious colours, and a cap of similar jewel work, which I think 
they ought to value very highly, because in it was a 
jewel, for which the Admiral, when presenting it, express 
ed great veneration. It appears to me that these people 
put more value upon copper than gold. The surgeon of 
the fleet and myself being present, the Admiral told Gua- 
camari that we were skilled in the treatment of human 
disorders, and wished that he would show us his wound; 
he replied that he was willing; upon which I said it would 
be necessary that he should, if possible, go out of the house, 
because we could not see well on account of the place be- 
ing darkened by the throng of people; to this he consented, 
I think more from timidity than inclination, and left the 
house leaning on the arm of the Admiral. After he was 
seated, the surgeon approached him and began to untie the 
bandage; then he told the Admiral that the wound was 
made with a ciba, by which he meant with a stone. When the 
wound was uncovered, we went up to examine it: it is cer- 
tain that there was no more wound on that leg than on the 
other, although he cunningly pretended that it pained him 
much. Ignorant as we were of the facts, it was impossible to 
come to a definite conclusion. There were certainly many 
proofs of an invasion by a hostile people, so that the Admiral 
was at a loss what to do; he with many others thought, how- 
ever, that for the present, and until they could ascertain the 
truth, they ought to conceal their distrust; for after ascer- 
taining it, they would be able to claim whatever indemnity 
they thought proper. 

That evening Guacamari accompanied the Admiral to 
the ships, and when they showed him their horses and other 
objects of interest, their novelty struck him with the great- 
est amazement: he took supper on board, and returned that 
evening to his house. 

The Admiral told him he wished to settle there and to 
build houses; to which he asserted, but said that the place 



188 

was not wholesome, because it was very damp: and so it 
most certainly was. 

All this passed through the interpretation of two of the 
Indians who had gone to Spain in the last voyage, who were 
the sole survivors of seven who had embarked with us; five 
died on the voyage, and these but narrowly escaped. The 
next day we anchored in that port; Guacamari sent to know 
when the Admiral intended leaving, and was told that he 
should do so on the morrow. The same day Guacamari's 
brother, and others with him, came on board, bringing gold 
to barter: on the day of our departure also they bartered a 
great quantity of gold. There were ten women on board, of 
those which had been taken in the Caribbee islands, princi- 
pally from Boriquen, and it was observed that the brother of 
Guacamari spoke with them; we think that he told them to 
make an effort to escape that night; for certainly during our 
first sleep they dropped themselves quietly into the water, 
and went on shore, so that by the time they were missed they 
had reached such a distance that only four could be taken by 
the boats which were in pursuit, and these were secured 
when just leaving the water: they had to swim considerably 
more than half a league. The next morning the Admiral 
sent to desire that Guacamari would cause search to be made 
for the woman who had escaped in the night, and that he 
would send them back to the ships. When the messengers 
arrived they found the place forsaken and not a soul there; 
this strongly confirmed the suspicions of many, but others 
said they might have removed to another village, as was 
their custom. That day we remained quiet, because the 
weather was contrary for our departure. 

On the next morning the Admiral resolved that as the 
wind was adverse, it would be well to go with the boats 
to inspect a port on the coast at two leagues' distance fur- 
ther up^' to see if the formation of the land was favoura- 
ble for a settlement: and we went thither with all the ship's 
boats, leaving the ships in the harbour. As we moved 
along the coast the people manifested a sense of insecurity, 
27 Port Dauphin. 



and when we reached the spot to which we were bound 
all the natives had fled. While we were walking about 
this place we found an Indian stretched on the hill-side, 
close by the houses, with a gaping wound in his shoulder 
caused by a dart, so that he had been disabled from flee- 
ing any further. The natives of this island fight with sharp 
darts, which they discharge from cross-bows in the manner 
as boys in Spain shoot their small arrows, and which they 
■ send with considerable skill to a great distance, and cer- 
tainly upon an unarmed people these weapons are calcu- 
lated to do serious injury. 

The wounded man told us that Caonabo and his people 
had wounded him and burnt the house of Guacamari. 
Thus we are still kept in uncertainty respecting the death 
of our people, on account of the paucity of information 
on which to form an opinion, and the conflicting and equi. 
vocal character of the evidence we have obtained. We did 
not find the position of the land in this port favourable 
for healthy habitation, and the Admiral resolved upon re- 
turning along the upper coast by which we had come from 
Spain, because we had had tidings of gold in that direction. 
But, the weather was so adverse that it cost more labour 
to sail thirty leagues in a backward direction than the 
whole voyage from Spain; .so that, what with the contrary 
wind and the length of the passage, three months had 
elapsed since we first set foot on land. It pleased God, how- 
ever, that through the check upon our progress caused by con- 
trary winds, we succeeded in finding the best and most suita- 
ble spot that we could have selected for a settlement, where 
there was an excellent harbour^s and abundance of fish, an 
article in which we stood in great need from the scarcity of 
meat. The fish caught here are very singular, and more 
wholesome than those of Spain, The climate does not allow 
the fish to be kept from one day to another, for all animal 
food Speedily becomes unwholesome, on account of the alter- 
nate heat and damp. 

28 Port Isabelique, or Isabella, ten leagues to the east of Monte 
Cristi. 



190 

The land is very rich for all purposes; near the harbour 
there are two rivers, one large,^^ and another of moderate 
breadth somewhat near to it: the water is of a very remark- 
able quality. 

On the bank of it is being built a city called Marta,^" 
one side of which is bounded by the water with a ravine 
of cleft rock, so that at that part there is no need of a 
fortification; the other half is girt with a plantation of trees 
so thick that a rabbit could scarcely pass through it: and 
so green that fire will never be able to burn it. A chan- 
nel has been commenced for a branch of the river, which 
the managers say they will lead through the middle of the 
settlement, and will place on it mills of all kinds requiring to 
be worked by water. 

Great quantities of vegetables have been planted, which 
certainly attain a more luxuriant growth here in eight days 
than they would in Spain in twenty. We were frequently 
visited by numbers of Indians, among whom were some of 
their caciques or chiefs, and many women. They all came 
loaded with ajes^ ^ a sort of turnip, very excellent for food, 
which we dressed in various ways. This food was so nutri- 
tious as to prove a great support to all of us after the priva- 
tions we endured when at sea, which were more severe than 
ever were suffered by man; for as we could not tell what 
weather it would please God to send us on our voyage, we 
were obliged to limit ourselves most rigorously with regard 
to food, m order that, at all events, we might at least have 
the means of supporting life: this a(/e the Caribbees called 
nabi, and the Indians ha(/e. 

The Indians barter gold, provisions, and everything they 
bring with them, for tags of laces, beads, and pins, and pieces 
of porringers and dishes. They all, as I have said, go naked 
as they were bom, except the women of this island, who 
some of them wear a covering of cotton, which they bind 
round their hips, while others use grass and leaves of trees. 

29 The river Isabella. 

30 The infant city of Isabella. 

31 Yams. 



191 

When they wish to appear full dressed, both men and women 
paint themselves, some black, others white, and various col- 
ours, in so many devices that the effect is very laughable, 
they shave some parts of their heads, and in others wear 
long tufts of matted hair, which have an indescribably ridi- 
culous appearance: in short, whatever would be looked upon 
in our country as characteristic of a madman, is here regard- 
ed by the highest of the Indians as a mark of distinction. In 
our present position, we are in the neighbourhood of many 
mines of gold, not one of which we are told, is more than 
twenty or twenty-five leagues off; the Indians say that some 
of them are in Nita, in the possession of Caonabo, who killed 
the Christians; the others are in another place called Cibao, 
which, if it pleases God, we shall see with our eyes before 
many days are over; indeed we should go there at once, but 
that we have so many things to provide that we are not equal 
to it at present. One third of our people have fallen sick 
within the last four or five days, which I think has princi- 
pally arisen from the toil and privations of the journey; 
another cause has been the variableness of the climate; 
but I hope in our Lord that all will be restored to health. 
My idea of this people is, that if we could converse with 
them, they would all become converted, for they do what- 
ever they see us do, making genuflections before the altars 
at the Ave Maria and the other parts of the devotional 
service, and making the sign of the cross. They all say 
that they wish to be Christians, although in truth they are 
idolaters, for in their houses they have many kinds of fig- 
ures: when asked what such a figure was, they would 
reply it is a thing of Ttirey, by which they meant " of 
Heaven." I made a pretense of throwing them in the fire, 
which grieved them so that they began to weep: they be- 
lieve that everything we bring comes from heaven, and 
therefore call it Turey, which as I have already said, means 
heaven in their language. The first day that I went on 
shore to sleep, was the Lord's day: the little time that we 
have spent on land, has been so much occupied in seeking 
for a fitting spot for the settlement, and in providing ne- 



19"2 



cessaries, that we have had little opportunity of becoming 
acquainted with the productions of the soil, yet although 
the time has been so short, many marvellous things have 
been seen. We have met with trees bearing wool, of a 
sufficiently fine quality (according to the opinion of those 
who are acquainted with the art) to be woven into good 
cloth; there are so many of these trees that we might load 
the caravels with wool, although it is troublesome to 
collect, for the trees are very thorny, ^ 2 ^^^ some means 
may be easily found of overcoming this difficulty. 

There are also cotton trees as large as peach trees, 
which produce cotton in the greatest abundance. We found 
trees producing wax as good both in colour and smell as 
bees-wax and equally useful for burning, indeed there is 
no great difference between them. There are vast numbers 
of trees which yield surprisingly fine turpentine, and a 
great abundance of tragacanth, also very good. We found 
other trees which I think bear nutmegs, because the bark 
tastes and smells like that spice, but at present there is no 
fruit on them; I saw one root of ginger, which an Indian 
wore hanging roimd his neck. There are also aloes; not like 
these which we have hitherto seen in Spain, but no doubt 
they are of the same kind as those used by us doctors. A 
sort of cinnamon also has been found; but, to speak the truth, 
it is not so fine as that with which we are already acquainted 
in Spain. I do not know whether this arises from ignorance 
of the proper season to gather it, or whether the soil does 
not produce better. We have also seen some yellow mirabo- 
lans; at this season they are all lying under the trees, and 
have a bitter flavour, arising, I think, from the rottenness 
occasioned by the moisture of the ground; but the taste of 
such parts as have remained sound, is that of the genuine 
mirabolan. 

There is also very good mastic. None of the natives 
of these islands, as far as we have yet seen, possess any 
ip-n; they have, however, many tools, such as hatchets and 

H2 a species of the N. O. Boinhaeeae\ perhaps the Eriodendron an- 
fractuosum. 



103 

axes, made of stone, which are so handsome and well fin- 
ished, that it is wonderful how they contrive to make them 
without the use of iron. Their food consists of bread, made 
of the roots of a vegetable which is between a tree and a 
vegetable, and the age, which I have already described as 
being like the turnip, and very good food; they use to sea- 
son it a spice called agi, which they also eat with fish, and 
such birds as they can catch of the many kinds which abound 
in the island. 

They have, besides, a kind of grain like hazel nuts, very 
good to eat. They eat all the snakes, and lizards, and spi- 
ders and worms that they find upon the ground, so that, to 
my fancy, their bestiality is greater than that of any beast 
upon the face of the earth. 

The Admiral had at one time determined to leave the 
search for the mines until he had first despatched the ships 
which were to return to Spain^s on account of the great sick- 
ness which had prevailed among the men, but afterwards he 
resolved upon sending two bands under the command of two 
captains, the one to Cibao,^* and the other to Nita, where, as 
I have already said, Caonabo lived. These parties went one 
of them returning on the twentieth and the other on the 
twenty-first of January. The party that went to Cibao saw 
gold in so many places as to seem almost incredible, for in 
truth they found it in more than fifty streamlets and rivers, 
as well as upon their banks; so that, the captain said they 
had only to seek throughout that province, and they would 
find as much as they wished. He brought specimens from 
the different parts, namely, from the sand of the rivers and 
small springs. 

It is thought, that by digging, it will be found in larger 
pieces, for the Indians neither know how to dig nor have the 

33 In fact he sent twelve vessels under the command of Antonio de 
Torres, who set sail from the port of Navidad, on the second of February, 
1494, charged with an account of all that had occurred. (Navarrete.) 

34 This was Alonzo de Ojeda, who went out with fifteen men, in the 
month of January, 1494, to seek the mines of Cibao, and returned a few 
days after with good news, having been well received everywhere by the 
natives. (Navarrete.) 



194 

means of digging more than a hand's depth. The other cap- 
tain, who went to Nita, returned also with news of a great 
quantity of gold in three or four places; of which he likewise 
brought specimens. Thus, surely, their Highnesses the King 
and Queen may henceforth regard themselves as the most 
prosperous and wealthy Sovereigns in the world; never yet, 
since the creation, has such a thing been seen or read of; for 
on the return of the ships from their next voyage, they will 
be able to carry back such a quantity of gold as will fill with 
amazement all who hear of it. Here I think I shall do well 
to break off my narrative. I think those who do not know 
me will consider me prolix, and somewhat an exaggerator, but 
God is my witness, that I have not exceeded, by one tittle, the 
bounds of truth. The preceding is the translation of that 
part of Doctor Chanca's letter, which refers to intelligence 
respecting the Indies. ^^ 

The remainder of the letter does not bear upon the sub- 
ject, but treats of private matters, in which Doctor Chanca 
requests the interference and the support of the Chapter of 
Seville (of which city he was a native,) in behalf of his fam- 
ily and property, which he had left in the said city. 

This letter reached Seville in the month of^'' 
in the year fourteen hundred and ninety-three. 



yS It is to be regretted, Navarrete here justly remarks, that Doctor 
Chanca should not have described the subsequent occurrences in Hispan- 
iola, which are very important, and which have been related b}' contempor- 
a.ry historians. 

36 A similar gap in the original. The date of the year is a mistake. 
This letter must have been brought by the ships commanded bj' Torres, 
and consequently must have been written at the end of January, 1494, after 
the first expedition of Ojeda. (Navarrete,) 



105 



MEMORIAL. 

Memorial of the results of the Second Voyage of the Admiral, 
CJiristopher Columbus, to the Indies, drawn up by him 
for their 3Iost Catholic 3Iajesties, King Ferdhiand and 
Queen Isabella; and addressed to Antonio de Torres, from 
the City of Isabella, the 30th of January, IJfQ^. The reply 
of their Highnesses is found at the end of each chapter.^ 

The report which you, Antonio de Torres, captain of the 
ship Marigalante, and Governor of the city of Isabella, have 
to make, on my behalf, to the King and Queen our Sover- 
eigns, is as follows; 

Imprimis: after having delivered the credentials which 
you bear from me to their Highnesses, you will do homage in 
my name, and commend me to them as to my natural sover- 
eigns, in whose service I desire to continue till death: and 
you will furthermore be able to lay before them all that you 
have yourself seen and known respecting me. 

Their Highnesses accept and acknowledge the service. 

Item. Although, by the letters which I have written to 
their Highnesses, as well as to Father Buil and to the 
Treasurer, a clear and comprehensive idea may be formed 
of all that has transpired since our arrival; you will, not- 
withstanding, inform their Highnesses, on my behalf, that 
God has been pleased to manifest such favour towards their 
service, that not only has nothing hitherto occurred to di- 
minish the importance of what I have formerly written or 
said to their Highnesses; but on the contrary I hope, by 
God's grace, shortly to prove it more clearly by facts; be- 
cause we have found upon the sea shore, without penetrat- 
ing into the interior of the country, some spots showing so 
many indications of various spices, as naturally to suggest 

1 In the original the replies are placed on the margin of each chapter. 
(Navarrete.) 



lOG 

the hope of the best results for the future. The same holds 
good with respect to the gold mines; for two parties only 
who were sent out in different directions to discover them, 
and who, because they had few people with them, remain- 
ed out but a short time, found, nevertheless, a great num- 
ber of rivers whose sands contained this precious metal in 
such quantity, that each man took up a sample of it in his 
hand; so that our two messengers returned so joyous, and 
boasted so much of the abundance of gold, that I fear I 
should weary the attention of their Highnesses, were I to 
repeat all that they said. But as Gorbalan, who was one 
of the persons who went on the discovery, is returning to 
Spain, he will be able to relate all that he has seen and 
observed; although there remains here another individual, 
named Hojeda, formerly servant of the Duke of Medinaceli, 
and a very discreet and pains-taking youth, who without 
doubt discovered, beyond all comparison, more than the 
other, judging by the account which he gave of the rivers 
he had seen; for he reported that each of them contained 
things that appeared incredible. 

It results from all this, that their Highnesses ought to 
return thanks to God, for the favour which thus accords 
to all their Highnesses' enterprise. 

Their Higlmesses return thanks to God for all that is here 
recorded, and regard as a very signal service all that the 
Ad)7iiral has already done, and is yet doing; for they are 
sensible that, U7ider God, it is he who has procured for them 
their present and future possessions in these countries; and as 
they are about to write to him on this subject more at length 
they refer to their letter. 

Item. You will repeat to their Highnesses what I have 
already written to them, that I should have ardently de- 
sired to have been able to send them, by this occasion, a 
larger quantity of gold than any they have any hope of 
our being able to collect, but that the greater part of the peo- 
ple we employed fell suddenly ill. Moreover, the departure 
of this present expedition could not be delayed any longer, 
for two reasons: namely, on account of the heavy expense 



1<>7 

Which their stay here occasioned; and because the weather 
was favourable for their departure, and for the return of 
those who should bring back the articles of which we stand 
in the most pressing need. If the former were to be put 
off the time of their starting, and the latter were to delay 
their departure, they would not be able to reach here by 
the month of May. Besides^ if [ wished now to undertake 
a journey to the rivers with those who are well, whether 
with those who are at sea, or those who are on land in 
the huts, I should experience great difficulties, and even 
dangers; because, in traversmg three or four and twenty 
leagues, where there are bays and rivers to pass, we should 
be obliged to carry, as provision for so long a journey, and 
for the time necessary for collecting the gold, many arti- 
cles of food, etc, which could not be carried on our backs, 
and there are no beasts of burden to be found, to afford 
the necessary assistance. Moreover, the roads and passes 
are not in such a condition as I should wish for traveling 
over, and first of all, I have turned my attention to this 
point. It would be also extremely inconvenient to leave 
the sick men here in the open air, or in huts, with such 
food and defences as they have on shore; although these 
Indians appear every day to be more simple and harmless 
to those who land for the. purpose of making investiga- 
tions. In short, although they come every day to visit us, 
it would nevertheless be imprudent to risk the loss of our 
men and our provisions, which might very easily happen, 
if an Indian were only with a lighted coal, to set fire to 
the huts, for they ramble about both night and day; for 
this reason, we kept sentinels constantly on the watch while 
the dwellings are exposed and undefended. 

Me has done well. 

Further, as we have remarked that the greatest part 
of those who have gone out to make discoveries, have 
fallen sick on their return, and that some have been even 
obliged to abandon their undertaking in the middle of their 
journey, and return, it was equally to be feared that the 



1U8 

same would occur to those who were at the time enjoying 
good health, if they were also to go. 

There were two evils to fear: one, the chance of falling 
ill in undertaking the same work, in a place where there 
were no houses nor any kind of protection, and of being 
exposed to the attacks of the Cacique called Caonabo, who, 
by all accounts, is a badly disposed man, and extremely 
daring; who, if he were to find us in a dispirited condition 
and sick, might venture upon what he would not dare to 
do if we were well. 

The other evil consisted in the difficulty of carrying 
the gold; for either we should have to carry it in small 
quantities, and go and return every day, and thus daily 
expose ourselves to the chance of sickness; or we should 
have to send it under the escort of a party of our people, 
and equally run the risk of losing them. 

He has done well. 

These are the reasons, you will tell their Highnesses, 
why the departure of the expedition has not been delayed, 
and why only a sample of the gold is sent to them; but I 
trust in the mercy of God, who in all things and in every 
place has guided us hitherto that all our men will be soon 
restored to health, as, indeed, they are already beginning to 
be; for there are but a few places which agree with them, 
but when they are in these places, they speedily recover 
their health. 

One thing is certain, that if they could have fresh meat, 
they would very quickly, by the help of God, be up and do- 
ing; and those who are most sickly, would speedily recover. 

I hope that they may be restored. The small number of 
those who continue well, are employed every day in barri- 
cading our dwelling, so as to put it in a state of defence, and 
in taking necessary measures for the safety of our ammuni- 
tion, which will be finished now in a few days, for all our 
fortifications will consist simply of stone walls. ^ These pre- 
cautions will be sufficient, as the Indians are not a people to 
be much afraid of; and, unless they should find us asleep, 
2 Albarrada — an Arabic word implying a stone wall without mortar. 



109 

they would not dare to undertake any hostile movements 
against us, even if they should entertain the idea of so doing. 
The misfortune which happened to those who remained here 
must be attributed to their want of vigilance; for however 
few they were in number, however favourable the opportuni- 
ty that the Indians had for doing what they did, they would 
never have ventured to do them any injury, if they had only 
seen that they took proper precautions against an attack. As 
soon as that object is gained, I will undertake to go in search 
of these rivers, either by going by land from hence, and em- 
ploying the best means we can devise, or else by sea, round- 
ing the island, until we come to the place which is described 
as being only six or seven leagues from where these rivers 
that I speak of are situated; so that we may collect the gold 
in safety, and put it in security against all attacks in some 
stronghold or tower, which may be quickly built for that pur- 
pose: and thus when the two caravels shall return thither 
the gold may be taken away and finally sent home in safety 
at the first favourable season for making the voyage. 

This is well, and exactly as he should have done. 

Item. You will inform their Highnesses (as indeed has 
been already done,) that the cause of the sickness so general 
among us, is the change of air and water, for we find that all 
of us are affected, though few dangerously; consequently, 
the preservation of the health of the people will depend, un- 
der God, on their being provided with the same food that 
they are accustomed to in Spain: without this precaution, 
neither those who are here now, nor those that shall come, 
will be in a position to be of service to their Highnesses un- 
less they enjoy good health. 

We ought to have fresh supplies of provisions until the 
time that we may be able to gather a sufficient crop from 
what we shall have sown or planted here: I speak of wheat, 
barley and grapes, towards the cultivation of which not much 
has been done this year, from our being unable earlier to 
choose a convenient settlement. When we had chosen it, the 
small number of labourers that were with us fell sick; and 
even when they recovered, we had so few cattle, and these 



•200 

cattle were so lean and weak, that the utmost they could do 
was very little; however, they have sown a few plots of 
ground, rather for the sake of trying the soil, which seems 
excellent, than with any other object, and the result of our 
attempts make us look forward to a remedy for our necessi- 
ties. We are very certain, as the fact has shown, that wheat 
and grapes will grow very well in this country. We must, 
however, wait for the fruit, and if it grows as quickly and 
well as the corn, in proportion to the number of vines that 
have been planted, we shall certainly not sigh for these pro- 
ductions as the produce of Andalusia and Sicily. There are 
also sugar-canes, of which the small quantity that we have 
planted has succeeded very well. 

The beauty of the country in these islands, the moun- 
tains, the valleys, the streams, the fertile fields watered by 
broad rivers, in short, everything is so wonderful, that there 
is no country on which the sun sheds his beams that can pre- 
sent such an appearance, together with so productive a soil. 

/Since the land is so fertile, it is desirable to soic as much as 
possible/ and Uon Juan de Fonseca has been desired to send 
over immediateli/ everything requisite /or that purpose. 

Item. You will say, that as a large portion of the wine 
that we brought with us has run away, and that, as all the 
men say, in consequence of the bad cooperage of the butts 
made at Seville, the article that fails us most at this mo- 
ment, and yet which we most want, is wine; and although 
we have biscuit and corn for some time longer, it is never- 
theless necessary that a reasonable quantity of these be 
sent to us, for the voyage is a long one, and it is impossi- 
ble to make a calculation for every day; the same holds 
good with respect to pork and salt meat, which should be 
better than what we have had on our voyage hitherto; 
sheep, lambs, both male and female, young calves and hei- 
fers, also are necessary. Consequently it would be expedient 
that every caravel that may be despatched hither, should 
bring a stock of these necessaries; and at the same time 
some asses, both male and female, and some mares that 
can be put to work; for here there are no beasts that can 



be employed to assist man in his labour. As I fear that 
their Highnesses may not be at Seville, and that their offi- 
cers or ministers will not, without their express instructions, 
make any movement towards the carrying out of the neces- 
sary arrangements for the return voyage; and that, in the 
interval between the report and the reply, the favourable 
moment for the departure of the vessels which are to re- 
turn hither (and which should be in all the month of May) 
may elapse, you will tell their Highnesses that I have given 
strict orders that the gold that you carry with you be 
placed in the hands of some merchant m Seville, in order 
that he may therefore disburse the sums that shall be ne- 
cessary for loading the two caravels with wine, corn, and 
the other articles detailed in this memorial; and this mer- 
chant shall convey or send the said gold to their Highnesses 
that they may see it, receive it, and from it cause to be 
defrayed the expenses that may arise from the fitting up 
and loading of the said two caravels. It is necessary, for 
the encouragement of the men who remain here, and for 
the support of their spirits, that an effort should be made 
to let the expedition arrive in the course of the month of May, 
so that they may have the fresh provisions, and other ne- 
cessaries, before summer, especially for the sick people. 

We particularly stand in need of raisins, sugar, almonds, 
honey, and rice, of which we ought to have had a great 
quantity, but brought very little with us, and what we had 
is now consumed. It is the same with the greater part of 
the medicines that we brought from Spain; which is not to 
be wondered at, when it is considered how many of our num- 
ber have been sick. For all these articles, which are intend- 
ed as much for the sick as for those who are in good health, 
you carry, as I have already said, memorials signed by my 
hand; you will execute my orders to the full, if there be 
sufficient money wherewith to do so, or you will at least pro- 
cure what is more immediately necessary, and which ought, 
consequently, to come as speedily as possible by the two ves- 
sels. With respect to such articles as cannot be sent off by 
them, you will, in submission to their Highnesses' pleasure, 



202 

look to it that they be sent by other vessels without loss 
of time. 

TJieir Highnesses will give instructions to Don Juan Fonseca 
to make immediate inquiry respecting the imposition in the con- 
struction of the casks, in order thai a sufficient levy be made on 
the makers to cover the losses occasioned bt/ the waste of the wine, 
as well as all the other expenses He xoill have to see that sugar canes 
of good quality be sent, and will immediately look to the despatch 
of the other articles herein required. 

Item. You will tell their Highnesses that as we are not 
acquainted with the language of these people, so as to make 
them acquainted with our holy faith, as their Highnesses and 
we ourselves desire, and as we will do so soon as we are able, 
we send by these two vessels some of these cannibal men and 
women, as well as some children, both male and female. 

Their Highnesses can order them to be placed under the 
care of the most competent persons to teach them the lan- 
guage, giving instructions, at the same time, that they may 
be employed in useful occupations; and that by degrees more 
care be bestowed upon them than would be given to other 
slaves, in order that afterwards one may learn from the other. 
By not seeing or speaking to each other for a long time, they 
will learn much sooner in Spain than they will here, and be- 
come much better interpreters. We will, however, do what 
we can; it is true, that as there is little communication be- 
tween one of these islands and another, there is some differ- 
ence in their mode of expressing themselves, which mainly 
depends on the distance between them. But as amongst all 
these islands, those inhabited by the cannibals are the largest 
and the most populous, I have thought it expedient to send 
to Spain men and women from the islands which they inhab- 
it, in the hope that they may one day be led to abandon their 
barbarous custom of eating their fellow creatures. 

By learning the Spanish language in Spain, they will 
much earlier receive baptism and ensure the salvation of 
their souls; moreover, it will be a great happiness to the Indians 
who do not practice the above mentioned cruel custom, when 
they see that we have seized and led captive those who injure 



'208 

them, whom they dread so much, that their name alone fills 
them with horror. You will assure their Highnesses, that 
our arrival in this country, and the sight of so fine a fleet 
have produced the most desirable effect and ensured our fu- 
ture safety; for all the inhabitants of this great island, and 
of those around it, when they see the good treatment that 
we shall show to those who do well, and the punishment that 
we shall inflict on those who do wrong, will hasten to submit, 
and their Highnesses will shortly be able to reckon them 
among the number of their subjects. 

And as even now they not only readily comply with 
every wish that we express, but also spontaneously endeavor 
to do what they think will prove agreeable to us; I think 
that their Highnesses may rest certain, that on many accounts 
both for the present and the future, the arrival of this fleet 
has secured for them a wide renown amongst all Christian 
Princes; but they themselves will be able to form a much 
better judgment on this subject that it is in my power to put 
into language. 

Let him he informed of ivhat has transpired respecting the 
cannibals that came over to Spain. He has done well and his 
suggestions are good; but let him endeavor by all possible means 
to convert them to our holy Catholic religion^ and do the same 
with respect to the inhabitants of all the islands to which he 
may go. 

Item. You will tell their Highnesses, that for the good 
of the souls of the said cannibals, and even of the inhabitants 
of this island, the thought has suggested itself to us, that the 
greater the number that are sent over to Spain the better, 
and thus good service may result to their Highnesses in the 
following manner: considering what great need we have of 
cattle and of beasts of burden, both for food and to assist the 
settlers in their work, their Highnesses will be able to au- 
thorize a suitable number of caravels to come here every 
year to bring over the said cattle, etc., in order that the fields 
may become covered with people and cultivation; these cat- 
tle, etc., might be sold at moderate prices for account of the 
bearers, and the latter might be paid with slaves, taken from 



204 

among the Caribbees, who are a wild people, fit for any 
work, well proportioned and very intelligent, and who when 
they have got rid of the cruel habits to which they have be- 
come accustomed, will be better than any other kind of slaves. 
When they lose sight of their country, they will forget their 
cruel customs; and it will be easy to obtain plenty of these 
savages by means of rowboats that we propose to build. It 
is taken for granted, that each of the caravels sent by their 
Highnesses, will have on board a confidential man, who will 
take care that the vessels do not stop anywhere else than 
here, where they are to unload and reload their vessels. 
Their Highnesses might fix duties on the slaves that may 
be taken over, upon their arrival in Spain. You will ask 
for a reply upon this point, and bring it to me, in order 
that I may be able to take the necessary measures, should 
the proposition merit the approbation of their Highnesses. 

The coitsuleration of this subject has been stisj)ended for a 
time u7itU some other measure may be suggested \oith reference to 
the island: the Admiral loill do xcell to write what further he 
thinks upon the subject. 

Item. You will also tell their Highnesses, that freight- 
ing the ships by the ton, as the Flemish merchants do, will 
be more advantageous and less expensive than any other 
mode, and for this reason, I have given instructions to 
freight the caravels in this manner that you have to send 
off. It will be well to adopt this plan with all the others 
that their Highnesses may send if it meets their approba- 
tion; but I do not mean to say that this measure should be 
applied to the vessels that shall come over licensed for the 
traffic of slaves. 

Their Ilig/inesses have giiien directions to Don Juan de 
Fonseca, to have the caravels freighted in the manner described, 
if it can be done. 

Item. You will tell their Highnesses, that in order to 
save any extra expenses, I have purchased the caravels 
mentioned in the memorial of which you are the bearer, 
in order to keep them here with the two vessels, the "Gal- 
lega" and the "Capitana," of which by advice of the pilot's 



205 

commander, I purchased the three-eights for the price de- 
clared in the said memorial, signed by my hand. These 
vessels will not only afford strength and security to those 
who will have to remain on shore and whose duty it will 
be to make arrangements with the Indians for collecting 
the gold; but they will be also very useful to ward oft" any 
attacks that may be made upon them by strangers; more- 
over, the caravels will be required for the task of making 
the discovery of terra firma, and of the islands which lie scat- 
tered about in this vicinity. You will therefore beg their 
Highnesses to pay, at the terms of credit arranged with 
the sellers, the sums which these vessels shall cost, for 
without doubt their Highnesses will be very soon reimburs- 
ed for what they may expend; at least, such is my belief 
and hope in the mercy of God. 

The Admiral has done well. You loill tell him that the 
sum m,entioned has been paid to the sellers of the vessels, and that 
Don Juan de Fonseca has been ordered to pay the cost of the 
caravels purchased by the Admiral. 

Item. You will speak to their Highnesses, and beseech 
them on my behalf, in the most humble manner possible, 
to be pleased to give mature reflection to the observations 
I make (and which I have most at heart,) with reference 
to the peacefulness, harmony, and good feeling of those 
who come hither; and you will beg them to make choice 
of persons in whom they can place full confidence for all 
matters connected with their service. You will beseech 
them to hold in view the purpose for which these men are 
sent, rather than their own interest; and since you your- 
self have seen and are acquainted with these matters, you 
will speak to their Highnesses upon this subject, and will 
tell them the truth on every point exactly as you have 
understood it: you will also take care that the orders which 
their Highnesses shall give on this point be put into effect 
if possible, by the first vessels, in order that no further 
injury occur here in the matters that effect their service. 

Their Hightiesses are xoell informed of all that takes 
2jlace, and will see to it that everything is done as it shoidd be. 



206 

Item. You will describe to their Highnesses, the posi-- 
tion of this city, the beauty of the province in which it is 
situated, as you have seen it, and as you can honestly speak 
of it; and you can inform them, that in virtue of the pow- 
ers which I have received from them, I have made you 
governor of the said city; and you will tell them also that 
I humbly beseech them, out of consideration for your ser- 
vices, to receive your nomination favourably, which I sin- 
cerely hope they may do. 

Their Highnesses are pleased to sanction your apjjoint- 
ment as governor. 

Item. As Moses Pedro Margarite, an officer of the 
household to their Highnesses, has done good service, and 
will, I hope, continue to do so for the future in all matters 
which may be entrusted to him, I have felt great pleasure 
in his continuing his stay in this country; and I have been 
much pleased to find that Gaspar and Bellram also remain: 
and as they are all three well known to their Highnesses 
as faithful servants, I shall place them in ports or employ- 
ments of trust. You will beg their Highnesses especially to 
have regard to the situation of the said Moses Pedro Mar- 
garite, who is married and the father of a family, and be- 
seech them to give him some vacant command in the 
order of Saint James, of which he is a knight, in order 
that his wife and children may thus have a competence to 
live upon. You will also make mention of Juan Aguado, 
a servant of their Highnesses; you will inform them of the 
zeal and activity with which he has served them in all mat- 
ters that have been entrusted to him; and also that I be- 
seech their Highnesses on his behalf, as well as on behalf 
of those above mentioned, not to forget my recommendation, 
but to give it full consideration. 

Tlieir Highnesses grant an annual pension of thirty thou- 
sand maravedis to Moses Pedro Margarite, and pensions of 
fifteen thousand niaratiedis to Gaspard and Beltran, tohick will 
be reckoned from this day, the 15th of August, lJf9Jf, They give 
orders that the said jyensions be paid by the Admiral out of the 
sums to be paid in the Indies, and by Don Juan de Tonseca out 



207 

of the sums to be paid in ISpaiu. With respect to the matter of 
Juan Aguado, their Highnesses will not be grateful. 

Item. You will inform their Highnesses of the contin- 
ual labor that Doctor Chanca has undergone, from the 
prodigious number of sick and the scarcity of provisions: 
and that in spite of all this, he exhibits the greatest zeal 
and benevolence in everything that relates to his profession. 
As their Highnesses have entrusted me with the charge 
of fixing the salary that is to be paid to him while out 
here (although it is certain that he neither receives, nor 
can receive anything from any one, and does not receive 
anything from his position, equal to what he did, and could 
still do in Spain, where he lived peacefully and at ease in 
a very different style from what he does here; and, although 
he declares that he earned more in Spain, exclusive of the 
pay which he received from their Highnesses,) I have never-^ 
theless, not ventured to place to the credit of his account 
more than fifty thousand maravedis per annum, as the sum 
which he is to receive for his yearly labour during the 
time of his stay in this country. I beg their Highnesses 
to give their sanction to this salary, exclusive of his main- 
tenance while here; and I do so, because he asserts that 
all the medical men who attend their Highnesses in the 
royal yachts, or in any of their expeditions, are accustomed 
to receive by right the day's pay out of the annual salary 
of each individual. Let this be as it may I am informed 
for certain, that on whatever service they are engaged it 
is the custom to give them a certain fixed sum, settled at 
the will and by order of their Highnesses, in compensation 
for the said day's pay. You will, therefore, beg their High- 
nesses to decide this matter, as well with respect to the 
annual pay as to the above mentioned usage, so that the 
said doctor may be reasonably satisfied. 

Their Highnesses acknowledge the justice of Doctor Chanca^ s 
observations, and it is their icish that the Admiral shall pag him 
the sum which he has allowed him, exclusive of his fixed annual 
salary. With respect to the day's pay allo'wed to medical men, 



20S 

it is not the custom to authorize them to receive it, except when 
they are in personal attendance upon the King. 

Item. You will tell their Highnesses, what great devo- 
tion Coronel has shown to the service in many respects, 
and what great proofs he has given of it in every impor- 
tant matter that has been trusted to him, and how much 
we feel his loss now that he is sick. You will represent 
to them how just it is that he should receive the recom- 
pense of such good and loyal services, not only in the 
favours which may hereafter be shown to him, but also in 
his present pay, in order that he, and all those that are with 
us may see what profit will accrue to them from their zeal 
in the service; for the importance and difficulty of explor- 
ing the mines should call for great consideration towards 
those to whom such extensive interests are entrusted; and, as 
the talents of the said Coronel have made me determme upon 
appointing him principal constable of this portion of the Indies, 
and, as I have given him carte blanche for fixing the salaries of 
those who come under his charge, I beg their Highnesses to 
condescend to sanction these grants as fully as they may think 
proper, upon consideration of his services, and to confirm his 
nomination to the service which I have allotted to him, by 
giving him an official appointment thereto. 

Their Highnesses grant him., besides his salary, an annual 
pension of fifteen thovsand tnaravedis; the same to be paid him 
at the same time us the said salary. 

Item. You will, at the same time, tell their Highnesses 
that the bachelor, Gil Garcia, came out here in quality of 
principal alcalde, without having any salary fixed or allowed 
to him: that he is a good man, well informed, correct in his 
conduct, and one that is very necessary to us; and that I 
beg their Highnesses to be pleased to give him such ap- 
pointments as shall enable him to support himself honour- 
ably; and that such may be granted to him extra the funds 
due to the appointments given to him beyond the sea. 

Their Highnesses grant him an annual 2^ension of twenty 
thousand maravedis daring his stay in the Indies, and that over 



200 

and above his fixed appointments; and it is their order that this 
pension be paid to him at the same time as his salary. 

Item. You will tell their Highnesses, as I have already- 
told them in writing, that I think it will be impossible to 
go this year to make discoveries until arrangements have 
been made to work the two rivers in which the gold has 
been found in the most profitable manner for their High- 
nesses' interest; and this may be done more effectively here- 
after, because it is not a thing that every one can do to 
my satisfaction, or with advantage to their Highnesses' 
service, unless I be present: for whatever is to be done 
always turns out best under the eye of the party interested. 

Z,et him contitiue to carry on his operations, as well as he is 
able, and let him try to discover the places lohere the gold is hidden. 

Item. You will tell their Highnesses, that the horse 
soldiers that came from Granada to the review which took 
place at Seville, offered good horses, but that at the time 
of their being sent on board, they took advantage of my 
absence (for I was somewhat indisposed,) and changed them 
for others, the best of which does not seem worth two 
thousand maravedis, for they sold the first and bought 
these; and this deception on the part of the horse soldiers, 
is very like what I have known to occur to many gentle- 
men in Seville of my acquaintance. It seems that Juan de 
Sorias, after having settled an advantageous price for him- 
self, put other horses in the place of those that I expected 
to find, and when I came to see them, there were horses 
there that had never been offered to me for sale. In all 
this the greatest dishonesty has been shown, so that I do 
not know whether I ought to complain of him alone, since 
these horse soldiers have been paid their expenses up to 
the present day, besides their salary^ and the hire of their 
horses, and when they are ill, they will not allow their 
horses to be used, because they are not present. Their 
Highnesses did not wish the horses to be purchased, but 
desired that the men should be taken into their service, 
but only to be employed in work which required them to 
ride on horse-back, which is not the case at present. All 



210 



these considerations lead me to think, that it would be 
more convenient to buy their horses, which are worth but 
little, and thus avoid being exposed daily to new disputes; 
finally, their Highnesses will decide on what plan is best 
for their own interests. 

Their Highnesses order Don Juan de Fonseca to make in- 
quiries respecting the matter of the horses, and if it be true that 
such a deception has been practised, to send up the culprits to be 
punished as they deserve,' also to gain information respecting the 
other people that the Admiral speaks of, and to send the restdt of 
the information to their Highnesses. With respect to the horse- 
soldiers, it is their Highnesses' wish and command, that they con- 
tinue inhere they are, and remain in service, because they belong 
to the guards and to the class of their Highnesses' servants. 
Their Highnesses also command the said horse-soldiers to give 
up their horses into the charge of the Admiral on all occasions 
when they shall be required, and if the use of the horses should 
occasion any loss, their Highnesses direct that compensation 
shall be made for the amount of the injury, through the medium 
of the Admiral. 

Item: You will mention to their Highnesses, that 
more than two hundred persons have come here without 
fixed salaries, and that some of them are very useful to 
the service; and in order to preserve system and unifor- 
mity, the others have been ordered to imitate them. For 
the three first years, it is desirable that we should have 
here a thousand men, in order to keep a safeguard upon 
the island and upon the rivers that supply the gold: and 
even when we are able to mount a hundred men on horse-back 
so far from being an evil, it will be a very necessary thing 
for us; but their Highnesses might pass by the question of 
the horse men until gold shall be sent. In short, their 
Highnesses should give instructions as to whether the two 
hundred people who have come over without pay, should 
receive pay like the others, if they do their work well; for 
we certainly have great need of them to commence our 
labours, as I have already shown. 



It is their Highnesses' wish and command, that the two 
hundred persons without pay shall replace such of those who are 
paid as have failed, or shall hereafter fail, in their duty, pro- 
vided they are fit for the service and please the Admiral; and 
their Highnesses order the Accountant to enter their names in the 
place of those who shall fail in their duty, as the Adiniral shall 
determine. 

Item. As there are means of diminishing the expenses 
these people occasion, and of saving a considerable portion 
of the expenditure, by imitating the plans which other princes 
have been able to employ with great efifect, it would be 
desirable that they should do likewise. 

I think it would be well that all ships that come here 
should be ordered to bring besides the ordinary stores and 
medicines, shoes, and leather for making shoes, shirts, both 
of common and superior quality, doublets, laces, some 
peasants' clothing, breeches, and cloth for making clothes, 
all at moderate prices, they might also bring other articles 
such as sweetmeats, which do not enter into the daily ra- 
tion, nor are absolutely necessary to health. The Span- 
iards that are here would always be happy to receive such 
articles as these in lieu of part of their pay; and if they 
were purchased by men who were selected for their known 
loyalty, and who take an interest in the service of their 
Highnesses, great economy would result from this arrange- 
ment. If their Highnesses find that this plan is expedient 
for the service, it is desirable that it should be adopted 
immediately. 

It would have heen desirable that the Admiral had entered 
more fully into the details of this subject j meanwhile Don Juan 
de Fonseca shall be ordered to instruct Don Xinienes de Dri- 
biesca to make the necessary arrangements for the executiori of 
the propjosed plans. 

Item. You will tell their Highnesses that, in a review 
that was holden yesterday it was remarked that a great 
number of the people were without arms, which I think 
must be attributed partly to the exchange made in Seville, 
or in the harbour, when those who presented themselves 



0|0 

armed were left for a while, and for a trifle exchanged 
their arms for others of an inferior quality, I think it 
would be desirable that two hundred cuirasses, a hundred 
arquebuses, a hundred arbalists, and many other articles 
of defensive armour should be sent over to us: for we have 
great need of them to arm those who are at present with- 
out them. 

Don Juan cle Fonseca has already been written to, to 
provide them. 

Item. Many married persons have come over here, and 
are engaged in regular duties, such as masons and other 
tradesmen, who have left their wives in Spain, and wish 
that the pay that falls due to them may be paid to their 
wives, or whomsoever they may appoint, in order that they 
may purchase for them such articles as they may need. 
I therefore beseech their Highnesses to take such measures 
as they may deem expedient on this subject; for it is of 
importance to their interests that these people be well pro- 
vided for. 

Their Highnesses have already ordered Don Juan de Fonse- 
ca to attend to this matter. 

Item. Besides the other articles which I have begged 
from their Highnesses in the memorial which you bear, 
signed by my hand, and which articles consist of provisions 
and other stores, both for those who are well and for those 
who are sick, it would be very serviceable that fifty pipes 
of molasses should be sent hither from the island of Ma- 
deira, for it is the tnost nutritious food in the world, and the 
most wholesome. A pipe of it does not ordinarily cost 
more than two ducats, exclusive of the casks; and if their 
Highnesses would order one of the caravels to call at the 
said island on the return voyage, the purchase might be 
made, and they might, at the same time, buy ten casks of 
sugar, of which we stand greatl}' in need. It is the most 
favourable season of the year to obtain it at a cheap rate, 
that is to say between this and the month of April. The 
necessary orders might be given, if their Highnesses think 



i>13 

proper, and yet the place of destination be carefully con- 
cealed, 

Don Juan de Fonseca will see to it. 

Item. You will tell their Highnesses that, although 
the rivers contain in their beds the quantity of gold de- 
scribed by those who have seen it, there is no doubt that 
,this metal is produced in the bosom of the earth; and that 
the water happening to come in contact with the mines, 
washes it away mingled with the sand. And as among the 
great number of rivers that have been already discovered 
there are some of considerable magnitude, there are also 
some so small that they might rather be called brooks than 
rivers, only two finger's breadth deep, and very short in 
their course; there will, therefore, be some men wanted to 
wash the gold from the sand, and others to seek for it in 
the bosem of the earth. The latter operation will be the 
principal and the most productive; it will be expedient 
therefore, that their Highnesses send men both for the wash- 
ing and for the mining, from among those who are em- 
ployed in Spain in the mines at Almaden,* so that, by one 
means or another, the work may be managed. We shall 
not, however, wait for the arrival of these workmen, but 
hope with the aid of God and with the washers that we 
have here with us when they shall be restored to health, 
to send a good quantity of gold by the first caravels that 
shall leave for Spain. 

This shall be completely provided for by other means; mean- 
while, Don Juan de Fonseca has their Highnesses' orders to send 
the best miners that he canjind. Their Highnesses write also to 
Almaden, with instructions to select the greatest mimber that can 
be spared, and to send thein up. 

Item. You will beseech their Highnesses very humbly 
in my name, to condescend to pay regards to my strong 
recommendation of Villacorta, who, as their Highnesses 
are in some degree aware, has been extremely useful, and 
has shown the greatest possible zeal in this affair. From 

4 In La Mancha, New Castile, famous for mines of quicksilver. 



21 1 

all that I have observed in him, I consider him a man of 
strict integrity, zealous and devoted to their Highnesses' 
service. I shall feel very grateful if they would deign to 
grant him some confidential employment adapted to his 
qualifications, and in which he might evince his industry 
and warm desire to serve their Highnesses: and you will 
take care that Villacorta shall have practical evidence that 
none of this work which he has done for me, or under my 
orders, has remained without recompense. 

This shall he done as he wishes. 

Item. That the said Moses Pedro Caspar, Beltran and 
others remaining here, came to command caravels which 
have already gone back, and are in receipt of no salary 
whatever: as these are people who should be employed in 
matters of principal importance, and requiring the greatest 
confidence, their pay has not been fixed, because it ought 
to be different from that of the rest. You will beg their 
Highnesses, on my behalf, to settle what ought to be given 
them either yearly or monthly, with respect to their High- 
nesses' service. 

Given in the City of Isabella, the thirtieth of January, 
in the year fourteen hundred and ninety-four. 

This point has been already replied to above; but as in the 
said clause it is said that they should receive their pay, it is their 
Highnesses' command that their salary shall he paid to them from 
the time that the co^nmand was issued. 



215 



LETTER 

Of the Admiral to the {quondam) nurse of the Prince Don 
Juan, loritten about the end of the year 1500. 

Most Virtuous Lady: If my complaint of the ill-usage 
of the world is new, its habit of ill-treating is very old. 
My combats with it have been countless, and 1 have resist- 
ed all its attacks until now, when I find that neither 
strength nor prudence is of any avail to me: it has cruelly 
reduced me to the lowest ebb, Hope in Him who has 
created us all is my support: His assistance I have always 
found near at hand. On one occasion, not long since. He 
supported me with His Divine arm, saying: "O man of little 
faith, arise, it is 1, be not afraid. i" I offered myself with such 
earnest devotion to the service of the princes, and I have 
served them with a fidelity hitherto unequaled and unheard 
of. God made me the messenger of the new heaven and 
the new earth, of which He spoke in the Apocalypse by 
Saint John, after having spoken of it by the mouth of 
Isaias; and He showed me the spot where to find it. All 
proved incredulous, except the Queen, my mistress, to 
whom the Lord gave the spirit of intelligence and the ne- 
cessary courage, and made her the heiress of all, as a dear 
and well beloved daughter. I went to take possession of 
it in her royal name. All wished to cover the ignorance 
in which they were sunk, by enumerating the inconven- 
iences and expenses of the proposed enterprise. Her High- 
ness held the contrary opinion, and supported it with all 
her power. Seven years passed away in deliberations, and 
nine have been spent in accomplishing things truly memor- 
able, and worthy of being preserved in the history of man. 

1 Related by his son Don Fernando, and more fully described in the 
letter of Columbus to their Majesties, describing his fourth voyage. It 
occurred December 26th, 1499. 



21G 



I have now reached that point, that there is no man so 
vile but thinks it his right to insult me. The day will come 
when the world will reckon it as a virtue to him who has not 
given his consent to their abuse. If I had plundered the 
Indies, even to the country where is the fabled altar of Saint 
Peter's, and had given them all to the Moors, they could not 
have shown towards me more bitter enmity than they have 
done in Spain. Who would believe such things in a country 
where there has always been so much magnanimity? I desire 
earnestly to clear myself of this affair, if only I had the means 
of doing so face to face with my Queen. The support which 
I have found in our Lord and in her Highness has made me 
persevere; and I would fain cause her to forget a little the 
griefs which death has occasioned her.^ I undertook another 
voyage to the new heavens and new earth, which had been 
hidden hitherto; and if these are not appreciated in Spain, 
like the other parts of the Indies, it is not at all wonderful, 
since it is to my labors that they are indebted for them. The 
Holy Spirit encompassed Saint Peter, and the rest of the 
twelve, who all had conflicts here below; they wrought many 
works, they suffered great fatigues, and at last they obtained 
the victory. I believed that this voyage to Paria would in 
some degree pacify them, because of the pearls and the dis- 
covery of gold in the island of Espailola. I left orders for 
the .people to fish for pearls, and collect them together, and 
made an aggreeinent with them that I should return for 
them; and I was given to understand that the supply would 
be abundant. 

If I have not written respecting this to their High- 
nesses, it is because I wished first to render an equally 
favourable account of the gold; but it has happened with 
this as with many other things; I should not have lost them 
and with them my honor, if I had been only occupied 
about my own private interests, and had suffered Espailola 
to be lost, or even if they had respected my privileges and 
the treaties. I say the same with regard to the gold which 

2 Th6 death of her son, Prince Juan, which occurred at Salamanca, 
October 4th, 1497. 



217 

I had then collected, and which I have brought in safety 
by Divine grace, after so much loss of life, and such ex- 
cessive fatigues. 

In the voyage which I made by way of Paria, I found 
nearly half the colonists of Espaiiola in a state of revolt, 
and they have made war upon me until now as if I had been a 
Moor; 3 while on the other side, I had to contend with no 
less cruel Indians. Then arrived Hojeda,* and he attempt- 
ed to put the seal to all these disorders; he said that their 
Highnesses had sent him, with promises of presents, of 
immunities, and treaties; he collected a numerous band, 
for in the whole island of Espaiiola there were few men 
who were not vagabonds, and there were none who had 
either wife or children. This Hojeda troubled me much, 
but he was obliged to retreat, and at his departure he said 
that he would return with more ships and men, and report- 
ed also, that he had left the Queen at the point of death. ^ 
In the meanwhile, Vincent Yanez,^ came with four caravels; 
and there were some tumults and suspicions, but no further 
evil. The Indians reported many other caravels to the can- 
nibals, and in Paria; and afterwards spread the news of 
the arrival of six other caravels, commanded by a brother 
of the alcalde; but this was from pure malice; when at 
last the hope was lost that their Highnesses would send 
any more ships to the Indies, and we no longer expected 
them, and when it was said openly that her Highness (the 
Queen) was dead. At this time, one Adrian'' attempt- 

3 After Columbus had discovered the island of Trinidad, he sailed 
along the coast of Paria, discovered the island of Margareta, and entered 
the habror of San Domingo, August, 30th, 1498. He found the colony in 
rebellion, and the Spaniards involved in quarrels, not only with the In- 
dians, but with one another. 

4 Alonzo de Hojeda reached Hispaniola, September, 5th, 1498. 

5 Roldan had by this time become reconciled to the Admiral, and the 
rebellion was quelled, when Hojeda arrived making great boast of his fa- 
vor with ]3ishop Fonseca, Columbus' enemy, and endeavored to excite fresh 
animosity against him, but he was compelled to leave Hispaniola for good. 

6 This was the commander of the Nina in the first voyage. 

7 Adrian Mogica, one of the rebels with Roldan. 



•2 IS 

ed a new revolt, as he had done before; but our Lord did 
not permit his evil designs to succeed. I had determined 
not to inflict punishment on any person, but his ingratitude 
obliged me, however regretfully, to abandon this resolution. 
I should not have acted otherwise with my own brother, if 
he had sought to assassinate me, and to rob me of the 
lordship which my sovereigns had given to my keeping. 
This Adrian, as is now evident, had sent Don Ferdmand 
to Xaragua, to assemble some of his partisans, and had 
some discussions with the alcalde, which ended in violence, 
but all without any good. The alcalde seized him and a part 
of his band, and, in fact, executed justice without my having 
ordered it. While they were in prison ihey were expecting 
a caravel, m which they hoped to embark; but the news of 
what had happened to Hojeda, and which I told them, de- 
prived them of the hope that he would arrive in this ship. It 
is now six months that 1 have been ready to leave, to bring 
to their Highnesses the good news of the gold, and to give 
up the government of these dissolute people, who fear neither 
their King nor Queen, but are full of imbecility and malice. 
I should have been able to pay every one with six hundred 
thousand maravedis, and for this purpose there were four 
millions and more of the tithes, without reckoning the third 
part of the gold. 

Before my departure (from Spain,) 1 have often entreat- 
ed their Highnesses to send to these parts at' my expense, 
some one charged to administer justice; and since, when I 
found the alcalde in a state of revolt, I have besought them 
afresh to send at least one of their servants with letters, be- 
cause I myself have had so strange a character given to me 
that if I were to build churches or hospitals they would call 
them caves for robbers. Their Highnesses provided for this 
at last, but in a manner quite unequal to the urgency of the 
circumstances; however, let that point rest, since such is 
their good pleasure. I remained two years in Spain with- 
out being able to obtain anything for myself, or those who 
came with me, but this man has gained for himself a full 
purse: God knows if all will be employed for His service. 



219 

Already, to begin with, there is a revenue for twenty years, 
which is, according to man's calculation, an age; and they 
gather gold in such abundance that there are people who, 
in four hours, have found the equivalent of five marks; but 
I will speak on this subject more fully hereafter. If their 
Highnesses would condescend to silence the popular rumors, 
which have gained credence among those who know what 
fatigues I have sustained, it would be a real charity; for 
calumny has done me more injury than the services which 
I have rendered to their Highnesses, and the care with 
which I have preserved their property and their govern- 
ment, have done me good; and, by their so doing, I should 
be re-established in reputation, and spoken of throughout the 
universe; for the things which I have accomplished are 
such, that they must gain, day by day, in the estimation 
of mankind. 

In the meanwhile, the commander Bobadilla,^ arrived 
at Saint Domingo, at which time I was at La Vega, and 
the Adelantado at Xaragua, where this Adrian had made 
his attempt; but by that time everything was quiet, the 
land was thriving, and the people at peace. The second 
day of his arrival he declared himself governor, created 
magistrates, ordered executions, published immunities from 
the collection of gold and from the paying of tithes; and, 
in fine, announced a general franchise for twenty years, 
which is, as I have said, the calculation of an age. He 
also gave out that he was going to pay every one, although 
they had not even done the service which was due up to 
that day: and he further proclaimed, with respect to me, 
that he would send me back loaded with chains, and my 
brother also (this he has accomplished;) and that neither 
I, nor any of my family, should return forever to these 
lands; and, in addition to this, he made innumerable unjust 
and disgraceful charges against me. All this took place, as I 
have said, on the very day after his arrival, at which time I was 

8 Francisco de Bobadilla, commander of the Order of Calatrava, sent 
from Spain with a royal commission to endeavor to restore peace and order 
to the colony. He reached San Domingo, August, 23d, 1500. 



220 

absent at a secure distance, thinking neither of him nor of his 
coming. Some letters of their Highnesses of which he 
brought a considerable number signed in blank, he filled 
up with exaggerated language, and sent round to the al- 
calde and his myrmidons, accompanying them with compli- 
ments and flattery. To me he has never sent eicher a letter 
or a messenger, nor has he done so to this day. Reflect 
upon this, madam ! What could any man in my situation 
think ? That honor and favor should be granted to him 
who had given his sanction to plundering their Highnesses of 
their sovereignty, and who had done so much injury and 
caused so much mischief ? — that he who had defended and 
preserved their cause through so many dangers, should be 
dragged through the mire ? When I heard this, I thought 
he must be like Hojeda: or one of the other rebels; but I 
held my peace, when I learned for certain from the friars 
that he had been sent by their Highnesses. I wrote to 
him, to salute him on his arrival, to let him know that I was 
ready to set out to go to court, and that I had put up to sale 
all that I possessed. I entreated him not to be in haste on 
the subject of the immunities; and I assured him that I would 
shortly yield this, and everything else connected with the 
government, implicitly into his charge. I wrote the same 
thing to the ecclesiastics, but I received no answer either 
from the one or the other. On the contrary, he took a 
hostile position, and obliged those who went to his resi- 
dence to acknowledge him for governor, as I have been 
told, for twenty years. As soon as I knew what he had done 
with regard to the immunities, I believed it needful to repair 
so great an error, and I thought he would himself be glad of 
it; because he had, without any reason or necessity, bestowed 
upon vagabonds privileges of such importance, that they 
would have been excessive even for men with wives and chil- 
dren. I published verbally, and by writings, that he could 
not make use of these grants, because mine had still more 
power, and I showed the immunities brought by Juan Agua- 
do. All this I did for the purpose of gaining time, that their 
Highnesses might be informed as to the state of things, and 



221 

that they might have opportunity to give fresh orders upon 
everything touching their interests. It is useless to publish 
such grants in the Indies — all is in favor of the settlers who 
have taken up their abode there, because the best lands are 
given up to them; and, at a low estimate, they are worth 
two hundred thousand maravedis a head for the four years, at 
which they are taken, without their having given one stroke 
of the spade or the mattock. I should not say so much if 
these people were married men; but there are not six among 
them all whose purpose is not to amass all they can and then 
decamp with it. It would be well to send people from Spain, 
and only to send such as are well known, that the country 
may be peopled with honest men. I had agreed with these 
settlers that they should pay the third of the gold and of 
the tithes; and this they not only assented to, but were 
very grateful to their Highnesses. I reproached them when 
I heard they had afterward refused it; they expected, how- 
ever, to deal with me on the same terms as with the com- 
mander, but I would not consent to it. He meanwhile 
irritated them against me, saying that I wished to deprive 
them of that which their Highnesses had given them; and 
strove to make me appear their enemy, in which he . suc- 
ceeded to the full. He induced them to write to their 
Highnesses, that they should send me no more commis- 
sioned as governer, (truly, I do not desire it any more for 
myself, or for any who belong to me, while the people 
remain unchanged;) and to conciliate them, he ordered 
inquiries to be made respecting me with reference to im- 
puted misdeeds, such as were never invented in hell. But 
God is above, who, with so much wisdom and power, res- 
cued Daniel and the three children, and who, if he please, 
can rescue me with a similar manifestation of his power, 
and to the advancement of his own cause. I should have 
known well enough how to find a remedy for the evils 
which I now describe and have been describing as having 
happened to me since I came to the Indies, if I had had 
the wish or had thought it decent to busy myself about 
my personal interest; but now I find myself shipwrecked, 



o*>o 



because, until now, I have maintained the justice and aug- 
mented the territorial dominions of their Highnesses. Now 
that so much gold is found, these people stop to consider 
whether they can obtain the greatest quantity of it by theft, 
or by going to the mines. For one woman they give a 
hundred castellanos, as for a farm; and this sort of trading 
is very common, and there are already a great number of 
merchants who go in search of girls; there are at this mo- 
ment some nine or ten on sale; they bring a good price, 
let their age be what it will. In saying that the commander 
could not confer immunities, I did what he desired, although 
I told him that it was in order to gain time until their High- 
nesses had received information respecting the country, and 
had given their orders as to the regulations best calculated 
to advance their interest. I say that the calumnies of injur- 
ious men have done me more harm than my services have 
done me good; which is a bad example for the present as well 
as for the future, I aver that a great number of men have 
been to the Indies, who did not deserve baptism in the eyes 
of God or man, and who are now returning thither. The gov- 
ernor has made every one hostile to me; and it appears from 
the manner of his acting, and the plans that he has adopted, 
that he was already my enemy, and very virulent against me 
when he arrived; and it is said that he has been at great ex- 
pense to obtain this office; but I know nothing about the 
matter except what I have heard. I never before heard of 
any one who was commissioned to make an inquiry, assem- 
bling the rebels, and taking as evidence against their gover- 
nor wretches without faith, and who are unworthy of belief. 
If their Highnesses would cause a general inquiry to be made 
throughout the land, I assure you they would be astonished 
that the island has not been swallowed up. I believe that you 
will recollect that when I was driven by a tempest into the 
port of Lisbon (having lost my sails,) I was falsely accused of 
having put in thither with the intention of giving the Indies 
to the sovereigns of that country. Since then, their High- 
nesses have learned the contrary, and that the report was 
produced by the malice of certain people. Although I am 



223 

an ignorant man, I do not imagine that any one supposed 
me so stupid as not to be aware that, even if the Indies 
had belonged to me, I could not support myself without 
the assistance of some prince. Since it is thus, where 
should I find better support, or more security against ex- 
pulsion, than in the King and Queen, our sovereigns? who 
from nothing, have raised me to so great an elevation, and 
who are the greatest princes of the world, on the land and 
on the sea. These princes know how I have served them, 
and they uphold my 'privileges and rewards; and if any 
one violates them, their Highnesses augment them by or- 
dering great favor to be shown me, and ordain me many 
honors, as was shown m the affair of Juan Aguado. Yes, 
as I have said, their Highnesses have received some service 
from me, and have taken my son into their household,^ 
which would not have happened with another prince, be- 
cause where there is no attachment, all other considerations 
prove of little weight. If I have now spoken severely of 
a malicious slander, it is against my will, for it is a sub- 
ject I would not willingly recall, even in my dreams. The 
Governor Bobadilla has maliciously exhibited in open day 
his character and conduct in this affair; but I will prove 
without difficulty that his ignorance, his laziness, and his 
inordinate cupidity, have frustrated all his undertakings. I 
have already said that I wrote him, as well as to the monks, 
and I set out almost alone, all our people being with the 
Adelantado and elsewhere, to remove suspicion; when he 
heard this, he caused D. Diego to be loaded with irons, 
and thrown into a caravel; he acted in the same manner 
toward myself, and toward the Adelantado when he arriv- 
ed. I have never spoken with him, and to this day he has 
not permitted any one to hold converse with me, and I 
make oath that I have no conception for what cause I am 
made prisoner. His first care was to take the gold that I had, 
and that without measuring or weighing it, although I was 
absent; he said he would pay those to whom it was owing 
and if I am to believe that which has been reported to me, 
9 Diego Columbus. 



224 

he reserved to himself the greater part, and sent for stran- 
gers to make the bargains. I had put aside certain speci- 
mens of this gold, as large as the eggs of a goose or a 
fowl, and many other sizes, which had been collected in a 
short space of time, in order to please their Highnesses, 
and that they might be impressed with the importance of 
the affair, when they saw a great number of large stones 
loaded with gold. This gold was the first that, after he 
had feathered his own nest (which he was in great haste 
to do,) his malice suggested to give away, in order that 
their Highnesses might have a low opinion of the whole 
affair; the gold which required melting diminished at the 
fire, and a chain, weighing nearly twenty marks, disap- 
peared altogether. I have been yet more concerned re- 
specting the afifair of the pearls, that I have not brought 
them to their Highnesses. In everything that could add 
to my annoyance the governor has always shown himself 
ready to bestir himself. Thus, as I have said, with six hundred 
thousand maravedis, I should have paid every one, without 
occasioning loss to any: and I had more than four millions 
of tithes and constabulary dues, without touching the gold. 
He made the most absurd gifts, although I believe he began by 
awarding them to the stronger party; their Highnesses will be 
able to ascertain the truth on this subject when they demand 
the account to be rendered them, especially if I may assist 
at the examination. He is continually saying that there 
is a considerable sum owing, while it is only what I have 
already reported, and even less. I have been wounded ex- 
tremely by the thought that a man should have been sent 
out to made inquiry into my conduct, who knew that if he 
sent home a very aggravated account of the result of his 
investigation, he would remain at the head of the govern- 
ment. Would to God their Highnesses had sent either him 
or some other person two years ago, for then I know that I 
should have had no cause to fear either scandal or disgrace; 
they could not then have taken away my honor, and I could 
not have been in the position to have lost it. God is just, and 
He will in due time make known all that has taken place and 



225 

why it has taken place. I am judged in Spain as a governor 
who had been sent to a province, or city, under regular gov- 
ernment, and where the laws could be executed without fear 
of endangering the public weal; and in this I received enor- 
mous wrong. I ought to be judged as a captain sent from 
Spain to the Indies, to conquer a nation numerous and 
warlike, with customs and religion altogether different from 
ours; a people who dwell in the mountains, without regu- 
lar habitations for themselves or for us; and where, by the 
Divine will, I have subdued another world to the dominion 
of the King and Queen, our Sovereigns; in consequence of 
which, Spain, that used to be called poor, is now the most 
wealthy of kingdoms. I ought to be judged as a captain, 
who, for so many years has borne arms, never quitting 
them for an instant. I ought to be judged by cavaliers 
who have themselves won the meed of victory;* <• by gen- 
tlemen, indeed, and not by the lawyers; at least as it would 
have been among the Greeks and Romans, or any modern 
nation in which exists so much nobility as in Spain; for 
under any other judgment I receive great injury, because 
in the Indies there is neither civil nor judgment seat. 

Already the road is opened to the gold and pearls, and 
it may surely be hoped that precious stones, spices, and a 
thousand other things will also be found. Would to God 
that it were as certain that I should suffer no greater 
wrongs than I have already experienced, as it is that I 
would, in the name of our Lord, again undertake my first 
voyage; and that I would undertake to go to Arabia Felix, 
as far as Mecca, as I have said in the letter that I sent to 
their Highnesses by Antonio de Torres, in answer to the 
division of the sea and land between Spain and ihe Portu- 
guese, and I would go afterward to the North Pole, as I have 
said and given in writing at the monastery of the Mejorada. 

The tidings of the gold which I said I would give, are, 
that on Christmas-day, being greatly afflicted and tormented 
by the wicked Spaniards and the Indians, at the moment of 

10 The old Spaniards gave the name of "caballero de conqidsta," to 
each of the conquerors among whom the conquered lands were divided. 



226 

leaving all to save my life if possible, our Lord comforted tne 
miraculously, saying to me, "Take courage: do not abandon 
thyself to sadness and fear; I will provide for all; the seven 
years, the term of the gold, are not yet passed, and in this, as 
in the rest, I will redress thee." I learned, that same day, 
that there were twenty-four leagues of land where they found 
mines at every step, which appear now to form but one. Some 
of the people collected a hundred and twenty castellanos' 
worth in one day, others ninety; and there have been those 
who have gathered the equivalent of nearly two hundred and 
fifty castellanos. They consider it a good day's work when 
they collect from fifty to seventy, or even from twenty to 
fifty, and many continue searching; the mean day's v/ork is 
from six to twelve, and those who get less are very dissatis- 
fied. It appears that these mines, like all others, do not yield 
equally every day; the mines are new, and those who collect 
their produce are inexperienced. According to the judgment 
of everybody here, it seems that if all Spain were to come 
over, every individual, however inexpert he might be, would 
gain the equivalent of at least one or two castellanos in a day; 
and so it is up to the present time. It is certain that any man 
who has an Indian to work for him collects as much, but the 
working of the traffic depends upon the Spaniard. See, now 
what discernment was shown by Bobadilla when he gave up 
everything for nothing, and four millions of tithes without 
any reason, and even without being asked to do so, and 
without first giving notice to their Highnesses of his inten- 
tion; and this is not the only evil which he has caused. I 
know, assuredly, that the errors which I may have fallen 
into have been done without the intention to do wrong, and 
I think that their Highnesses will believe me when I say 
so; but I know and see that they show mercy toward those 
who intentionally do injury to their service. I, however, 
feel very certain that the day will come when they will 
treat me much better; since, if I have been in error, it has 
been innocently and under the force of circumstances, as 
they will shortly understand beyond all doubt. I, who am 
their creature, and whose services and usefulness they will 



227 

every day be more willing to acknowledge. They will 
weigh all in the balance, even as, according to Holy Scrip- 
ture, it will be with the evil and the good at the day of 
judgment. If, nevertheless, their Highnesses ordain me 
another judge, which I hope will not be the case, and if 
my examination is to be holden in the Indies, I humbly 
beseech them to send over two conscientious and respecta- 
ble persons at my expense, who would readily acknowl- 
edge that, at this time, five marks of gold may be found 
in four hours; be it, however, as it may, it is highly neces- 
sary that their Highnesses should have this matter inquired 
into. The governor, on his arrival at Espanola, took np 
his abode in my house, and appropriated to himself all that 
was therein. Well and good; perhaps he was in want of 
it; but even a pirate does not behave in this manner to- 
ward the merchants that he plunders. That which grieved 
me most was the seizure of my papers, of which I have 
never been able to recover one; and those that would have 
been most useful to me in proving my innocence are pre- 
cisely those which he has kept most carefully concealed. 
Behold the just and honest inquisitor ! I am told that he 
does not at all confine himself to the bonds of justice, but that 
he acts in all things despoticall}'. God our Saviour retains 
His power and wisdom as of old; and, above all things He 
punishes ingratitude. 



228 



FOURTH VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS. 

'Which was written by Don Cristobal Colon, Viceroy and Ad- 
miral of the Indies, to the most Christian and most miyhty 
King and Queen of Spain, our Sovereigns, and in which he 
informs them of all the incidents of his voyage, and of the 
countries, provinces, cities, rivers and other marvelous things, 
and of where gold mines abound, and other things of great 
wealth and value are to be found. 

Most Serene and very "high and Mighty Princes, the 
King and Queen, our Sovereigns: — From Cadiz I went to the 
Canary in four days, and thence to the Indies, from which I 
wrote, in sixteen days. My intention was to hasten my voy- 
age while I had good ships, good crews and provisions, and 
because my course was to the island of Jamaica. I wrote 
this on the island of Dominica; and up to the present I have 
been seeking information. 

On the night of my reaching these shores I was beset 
with a very great storm which has continued ever since. 

On reaching the island of Espaiiola I despatched a pack- 
et of letters, by which I begged as a favor that a ship should 
be supplied me at my own cost in lieu of one of those that I 
had brought with me, which had become unseaworthy, and 
could no longer carry sail. The letters were taken, and your 
Highnesses will know if a reply has been given to them. For 
my part I was forbidden to go on shore; the hearts of my 
people failed them lest I should take them further, and they 
said that if any danger were to befall them, they should re- 
ceive no succor, but, on the contrary; in all probability have 
some great affront offered them. Moreover every man had 
it in his power to tell me that the new Governor would have 
the superintendence of the countries that I might acquire. 

The tempest was terrible throughout the night, all the 
ships were separated, and each one driven to the lastextrem- 



229 

ity, without hope of anything but death; each of them also 
looked upon the loss of the rest as a matter of certainty. 
What man was ever born, not even excepting Job, who would 
not have been ready to die of despair at finding himself as I 
then was, in anxious fear for my own safety, and that of my 
son, my brother and my friends, and yet refjLised permission 
either to land or to put into harbor on the shores which by 
God's mercy I had gained for Spain with so much toil and 
danger. 

But to return to the ships: although the tempest had so 
completely separated them from me as to leave me single 
yet the Lord restored them to me in His own good time. The 
ship which we had the greatest fear of, had put out to sea 
for safety, and reached the island of Gallega, having lost her 
boat and a great part of her provisions, which latter loss in- 
deed, all the ships suffered. The vessel in which I was, 
though dreadfully buffeted, was saved by our Lord's mercy 
from any injury whatever; my brother went in the ship that 
was unsound, and he under God was the cause of its being 
saved. With this tempest I struggled on till I reached Jam- 
aica, and there the sea became calm, but there was a strong 
current which carried me as far as the Queen's Garden * 
without seeing land. Hence as opportunity afforded I pushed 
on for terra firma, in spite of the wind and a fearful contrary 
current, against which I contended for sixty days, and dur- 
ing that time only made seventy leagues. All this time I 
was unable to get into harbor, nor was there any cessation 
of the tempest, which was one continuation of rain, thun- 
der and lightning; indeed it seemed as if it were the end 
of the world. I at length reached the Cape of Gracias a Dios^ 
and after that the Lord granted me fair wind and tide ; 
this was on the twelfth of September. Eighty-eight days 
did this fearful tempest continue, during which I was at 
sea, and saw neither sun nor stars; my ships lay exposed, 
with sails torn, and anchors, rigging, cables, boats and a 
great quantity of provisions lost; my people were very weak 

1 A name given to a group of islands south of Cuba. 

2 In Honduras. 



230 

and humbled in spirit, many of them promising to lead a 
religious life, and all making vows and promising to per- 
form pilgrimages, while some of them would frequently go 
to their messmates and make Confession to one another. 
Other tempests have been experienced, but never of so long 
duration or so fearful as this: many whom we looked upon 
as brave men, on several occasions showed considerable 
trepidation; but the distress of my son^ who was with me 
grieved me to the soul, and the more when I considered 
his tender age, for he was but thirteen years old, and he 
enduring so much toil for so long a time. Our Lord, how- 
ever, gave him strength even to enable him to encourage 
the rest, and he worked as if he had been eighty years at 
sea, and all this was a consolation to me. I myself had 
fallen sick, and was many times at the point of death, but 
from a little cabin that I had caused to be constructed on 
deck, I directed our course. My brother was in the ship 
that was in the worst condition and the most exposed to 
danger; and my grief on this account was the greater that 
I brought him with me against his will. 

Such is my fate, that the twenty years of service through 
which I have passed with so much toil and danger have 
profited me nothing, and at this very day I do not possess 
a roof in Spain that I can call my own; if I wish to eat 
or sleep, I have nowhere to go but to the inn or tavern, 
and most times lack wherewith to pay the bill. Another 
anxiety wrung my very heart-strings, which was the thought 
of my son Diego, whom I had left an orphan, in Spain, 
and stripped of the honor and property which were due to 
him, on my account, although I had looked upon it as a 
certainty, that your Majesties, as just and grateful Princes, 
would restore it to him in all respects with increase. I 
reached the land of Cariay, where I stopped to repair my 
vessels and take in provisions, as well as to afford relaxa- 
tion to the men, who had become very weak. I myself 
(who, as I said before, had been several times at the point 
of death) gained information respecting the gold mines of 
3 This was Ferdinand, his natural son. 



231 

Which I Was in search, in the province of Cianiba; and tWo 
Indians conducted me to Carambaru, where the people (who 
go naked) wear golden mirrors round their necks, which 
they will neither sell, give, nor part with for any considera^ 
tion. They named to me many places on the sea-coast where 
there were both gold and mines. The last that they men- 
tioned was Veragua, which was five-and-twenty leagues dis- 
tant from the place where we then were. I started with the 
intention of visiting all of them, but when I had reached the 
middle of my journey I learned that there were other mines 
at so short a distance that they might be reached m two days. 
I determined on sending to see them. It was on the eve of 
Saint Simon and Samt Jude, which was the day fixed for our 
departure; but that night there arose so violent a storm that 
we were forced to go wherever it drove us, and the Indian 
who was to conduct us to the mines was with us all the time. 
As I have found everything true that had been told me, in 
the different places which I had visited, I felt satisfied it would 
be the same with respect to Ciguare, which, according to 
their account, is nine days' journey across the country west- 
ward: they tell me there is a great quantity of gold there, 
and that the inhabitants wear coral ornaments on their heads, 
and very large coral bracelets and anklets, with which article 
also they adorn and inlay their seats, boxes and tables. They 
also said that the women ihere wore necklaces hanging down 
to their shoulders. All the people agree in the report I now 
repeat, and their account is so favorable that I should be con- 
tent with the tithe of the advantages that their description 
holds out. They are all likewise acquainted with the pepper 
plant; according to the account of these people, the inhabi- 
tants of Ciguare are accustomed to hold fairs and markets for 
carrying on their commerce, and they showed me also the 
mode and form in which they transact their various exchanges; 
others assert that their ships carry guns, and that the men go 
clothed and use bows and arrows, swords and cuirasses, and 
that on shore they have horses, which they use in battle, and 
that they wear rich clothes and have most excellent houses. 
They also say that the sea surrounds Ciguare, and that at ten 



days' journey from thence is the river Ganges; these lands ap- 
pear to hold the same relation to Veragua, as Tortosa to Fon- 
tarabia, or Pisa to Venice. When I left Carambaru, and 
reached the places in its neighbourhood, which I have above 
mentioned as being spoken of by the Indians, I found the 
customs of the people correspond with the accounts that had 
been given of them, except as regarded the golden mirrors: 
any man who had one of them would willingly part with it 
for three hawks' bells, although they were equivalent in weight 
to ten or fifteen ducats. These people resemble the natives 
of Espafiola in all their habits. They have various modes 
of collecting the gold, none of which will bear comparison 
with the plans adopted by the Christians. 

All that I have here stated is from hearsay. This, however, 
I know, that in the year ninety-four I sailed twenty-four 
degrees to the westward in nine hours, and there can be 
no mistake upon the subject, because there was an eclipse; 
the sun was in Libra, and the moon in Aries. What I had 
learned by the mouth of these people I already knew in 
detail from books. Ptolemy thought that he had satisfac- 
torily corrected Marinus, and yet this latter appears to have 
come very near the truth.* Ptolemy places Catigara at a dis- 
tance of twelve lines to the west of his meridian, which he 
fixes at two degrees and a third above Cape Saint Vincent 
in Portugal. Marinus comprises the earth and its limits in 
fifteen lines, and the same author describes the Indus in 
Ethiopia as being more than four-and-twenty degrees from 
the equinoctial line, and now that the Portuguese have 
sailed there, they find it correct,^ Ptolemy says also that 
the most southern land is the first boundary, and that it 
does not go lower down than fifteen degrees and a third. 
The world is but small; out of seven divisions of it the dry 

4 This was in reference to the diameter of the earth, and to the extent 
of the Indies. It is needless to mention that it was the erroneous theories 
on this subject which induced Columbus to belie%^e that he could reach the 
Indies by sailing westward, and led him to make the attempt. 

5 The expedition under Vasco de Qama, which sailed in 1497, and 
reached India via the Cape of Good Hope. 



233 

part occupies six, and the seventh is entirely covered by 
water. Experience has shown it, and I have written it with 
quotations from the Holy Scripture, in other letters, where 
I have treated ot the situation of the terrestrial paradise, 
as approved by the Holy Church; and I say that the world 
is not so large as vulgar opinion makes it, and that one de- 
gree from the equinoctial line measures fifty-six miles and 
two-thirds; and this may be proved to a nicety. But I leave 
this subject, which it is not my intention now to treat upon, 
but simply to give a narrative of my laborious and painful 
voyage, although of all my voyages it is the most honorable 
and advantageous. I have said that on the eve of Saint Si- 
mon and Saint Jude I ran before the wind wherever it took 
me, without power to resist it: at length I found shelter for 
ten days from the roughness of the sea and the tempest over- 
head, and resolved not to attempt to go back to the mines, 
which I regarded as already in our possession. When I start- 
ed in pursuance of my voyage it was under a heavy rain, and 
reaching the harbor of Bastimentos I put in, though much 
against my will. The storm and a rapid current kept me in 
for fourteen days, when I again set sail, but not with favora- 
ble weather. After I had made fifteen leagues with great 
exertions, the wind and the current drove me back again with 
great fury, but in again making for the port which I had 
quitted, I found on the way another port, which I named 
Retrete, where I put in for shelter with as much risk as re- 
gret, the ships being in sad condition, and my crews and my- 
self exceedingly fatigued. I remained there fifteen days* 
kept in by stress of weather, and when I fancied my troubles 
were at an end, I found them only begun. It was then that 
I changed my resolution with respect to proceeding to the 
mines, and proposed doing something in the interim, until 
the weather should prove more favourable for my voyage. I 
had already made four leagues when the storm recommenced 
and wearied me to such a degree that I absolutely knew not 
what to do; my wound reopened, and for nine days my life 
was despaired of; never was the sea so high, so terrific, and 
so covered with foam; not only did the wind oppose our pro- 



234 

ceeding onward, but it also rendered it highly dangerous to 
run in for any headland, and kept me in that sea which seem- 
ed to me as a sea of blood, seething like a cauldron on a 
mighty fire. Never did the sky look more fearful; during 
one day and one night it burned like a furnace, and every in- 
stant I looked to see if my masts and my sails were not de- 
stroyed; for the lightnmg flashed with such alarming fury 
that we all thought the ships must have been consumed. All 
this time the waters from heaven never ceased descending, 
not to say that it rained, for it was like a repetition of the 
deluge. The men were at this time so crushed in spirit that 
they longed for death as a deliverance from so many martyr- 
doms. Twice already had the ships suffered loss in boats, 
anchors, and rigging, and were now lying bare without sails. 
When it pleased our Lord, I returned to Puerto Gordo, 
where I recruited my condition as well as I could. I then 
once more attempted the voyage toward Veragua, although 
I was by no means in a fit state to undertake it. The wind 
and currents were still contrary. I arrived at nearly the 
same spot as before, and there again the wind and currents 
still opposed ray progress; and once again I was compelled 
to put into port, not daring to encounter the opposition of 
Saturn with such a boisterous sea, and on so formidable a 
coast; for it almost always brings on a tempest or severe 
weather. This was on Christmas-day, about the hour of 
Mass. Thus, after all these fatigues, I had once more to 
return to the spot from whence I started; and when the 
new year had set in, I returned again to my task; but 
although I had fine weather for my voyage, the ships were 
no longer in a sailing condition, and my people were either 
dying or very sick. On the feast of the Epiphany, I reach- 
ed Veragua in a state of exhaustion; there, by our Lord's 
goodness, I found a river and a safe harbour, although at 
the entrance there were only ten spans of water. I suc- 
ceeded in making an entry, but with great difficulty; and 
on the following day the storm recommenced, and had I 
been still on the outside at that time I should have been 
unable to enter on account of the reef. It rained without 



N 



235 

ceasing until the fourteenth of February, so that I could 
find no opportunity of penetrating into the interior, nor of 
recruiting my condition in any respect whatever; and on the 
twenty-fourth of January, when I considered myself in per- 
fect safety, the river suddenly rose with great violence to 
a considerable height, breaking my cables and the supports 
to which they were fastened, and nearly carrying away my 
ships altogether, which certainly appeared to me to be in 
greater danger than ever. Our Lord, however, brought a 
remedy as He has always done. I do not know if any one 
else ever suffered greater trials. 

On the sixth of February, while it was still raining, I 
sent seventy men on shore to go into the interior, and at 
five leagues' distance they found several mines. The In- 
dians who went with them conducted them to a very lofty 
mountain, and thence showing the country all round, as far 
as the eye could reach, told them there was gold in every 
part, and that, toward the west, the mmes extended twenty 
days' journey; they also recounted the names of the towns 
and villages where there was more or less of it. I afterward 
learned that the Cacique Quibian, who had lent these Indians, 
had ordered them to show the distant mines, and which be- 
longed to an enemy of his; but that in his own territory one 
man might, if he would, collect m ten days a great abundance 
of gold. I bring with me some Indians, his servants, who 
are witnesses of this fact. The boats went up to the spot 
where the dwellings of these people are situated; and after 
four hours my brother returned with the guides, all of them 
bringing back gold which they had collected at that place. 
The gold must be abundant, and of good quality, for none of 
these men had ever seen mines before; very many of them 
had never seen pure gold, and most of them were seamen and 
lads. Having building materials in abundance, I established 
a settlement, and made many presents to Quibian, which is 
the name they gave to the lord of the country. I plainly saw 
that harmony would not last long, for the natives are of a 
very rough disposition, and the Spaniards very encroach- 
ing; and, moreover, I had taken possession of land belong- 



230 

ing to Quibian. When he saw what we did, and found 
the traflEic increasing, he resolved upon burning the houses 
and putting us all to death; but his project did not succeed, 
for we took him prisoner, together with his wives, his chil- 
dren, and his servants. His captivity, it is true, lasted but 
a short time, for he eluded the custody of a trustworthy 
man, into whose charge he had been given, with a guard 
of men; and his sons escaped from a ship, in which they 
had been placed under the special charge of the master. 

In the month of January the mouth of the river was 
entirely closed up, and in April the vessels were so eaten 
with the teredo,^ that they could scarcely be kept above 
water. At this time the river forced a channel for itself, 
by which I managed, with great difficulty, to extricate 
three of them after 1 had unloaded them. The boats were 
then sent back into the river for water and salt, but the 
sea became so high and furious, that it afforded them no 
chance of exit: upon which the Indians collected themselves 
together in great numbers, and made an attack upon the 
boats, and at length massacred the men. My brother, and 
all the rest of our people, were in a ship, which remained 
inside; I was alone, outside, upon that dangerous coast suf- 
fering from a severe fever and worn with fatigue. All hope 
of escape was gone. I toiled up to the highest part of the 
ship, and, with a quivering voice and fast falling tears, I call- 
ed upon your Highnesses' war-captains from each point of 
the compass to come to my succor, but there was no reply. 
At length, groaning with exhaustion, I fell asleep, and heard 
a compassionate voice address me thus. "O fool, and slow to 
believe and to serve thy God, the God of all; what did He do 
more for Moses, or for David his servant, than He has done 
for thee ? From thine infancy He has kept thee under His con- 
stant and watchful care. When He saw thee arrived at an age 
which suited His designs respecting thee He brought wonder- 
ful renown to thy name throughout all the land. He gave thee 
for thine own the Indies, which fonn so rich a portion of the 
world, and thou hast divided them as it pleased thee, for He 
6 The mollusk that bores through the bottoms of vessels. 



237 

gave thee power to do so. He gave thee the keys of those 
barriers of the ocean sea which were closed with siich mighty 
chains; and thou wast obeyed through many lands, and gain- 
ed an honorable fame throughout Christendom. What more 
did the Most High do for the people of Israel, when He 
brought them out of Egypt ? or for David, whom from a 
shepherd He made to be a king in Judea ? Turn to Him, and 
acknowledge thine error — His mercy is infinite. Thine old 
age shall not prevent thee from accomplishing any great un- 
dertaking. He holds under His sway the greatest possessions. 
Abraham had exceeded a hundred years of age when he begat 
Isaac; nor was Sarah young. Thou criest out for uncertain 
help; answer, who has afflicted thee so much and so often, 
God or the world ? The privileges promised by God He never 
fails in bestowing; nor does He ever declare, after a service 
has been rendered Him, that such was not agreeable with His 
intention, or that He had regarded the matter in another 
light; nor does He inflict suffering, in order to give effect to 
the manifestation of His power. His acts answer to His 
words; and it is His custom to perform all His promises with 
interest. Thus I have told you what the Creator has done 
for thee, and what He does for all men. Even now He par- 
tially shows thee the reward of so many toils and dangers m- 
curred by thee in the service of others." 

I heard all this, as it were, in a trance; but I had no 
answer to give in definite words, and could but weep for my 
errors. He who spoke to me, whoever it was, concluded by 
saying, "Fear not, trust; all these tribulations are recorded 
on marble, and not without cause." I rose as soon as I could; 
and at the end of nine days there came fine weather, but not 
sufficiently so as to allow of drawing the vessels out of the 
river. I collected the men who were on land, and, in fact, all 
of them, that I could, because there were not enough to admit 
of one party remaining on shore while another stayed on 
board to work the vessel. I myself should have remained 
with my men to defend the buildings I had constructed, had 
your Highnesses been cognizant of all the facts; but the 
doubt whether any ships would ever reach the spot where we 



\ 



238 

were, as well as the thought, that while I was asking for suc- 
cor I might bring succor to myself, made me decide upon 
leaving. I departed, in the name of the Holy Trinity, on 
Easter night, with the ships rotten, worn out, and eaten 
into holes. One of them I left at Belen, with a supply of 
necessaries; I did the same at Belpuerto. I then had only 
two left, and they in the same state as the others. 1 was 
without boats or provisions, and m this condition 1 had to 
cross seven thousand miles of sea; or, as an alternative, to 
die on the passage with my son, my brother, and so many 
of my people. Let those who are accustomed to sianuer 
and aspersion, ask, while they sit in security at -home 
"Why didst thou not do so and so under such circum- 
stances ? " I wish that they were now embarked in this 
voyage. I verily believe that another journey of another 
kind awaits them, if there is any reliance to be placed upon 
our holy faith. 

On the thirteenth of May I reached the province of 
Mago, wtiich is contiguous to that of Cathay, and thence I 
started for the island of Espaiiola. I sailed two days with 
a good wind, after which it became contrary. The route 
that I followed called forth all my care to avoid the nu- 
merous islands, that 1 might not be stranded on the shoals 
that lie in their neighborhood. The sea was very tempes- 
tuous, and 1 was driven backwards under bare poles. I 
anchored at an island, where I lost, at one stroke, three 
anchors; and at midnight, when the weather was such that 
the world appeared to be coming to an end, the cables of 
the other ship broke, and it came down upon my vessel 
with such force that it was a wonder we were not dashed 
to pieces; the single anchor that remained to me, was, next 
to the Lord, our only preservation. After six days, when 
the weather became calm, I resumed my journey, having 
already lost all my tackle; my ships were pierced with worm- 
holes, like a bee-hive, and the crew entirely dispersed and 
downhearted. I reached the island a little beyond the point 
at which 1 first arrived at it, and there I stayed to recover 
myself from the effects of the storm; but I afterward put 



23<.) 

into a much safer port in the same island. After eight 
days I put to sea again, and. reached Jamaica by the end 
of June; but always beating against contrary winds, and 
with the ships in the worst possible condition. With three 
pumps, and the use of pots and kettles, we could scarcely 
clear the water that came into the ship; there being no reme- 
dy but this for the mischief done by the ship-worm. I steer- 
ed in such a manner as to come as near as possible to Espaiiola, 
from which we were twenty-eight leagues distant, but I 
afterward wished I had not done so, for the other ship, which 
was half under water, was obliged to run in for a port. I 
determined on keeping the sea in spite of the weather, and 
my vessel was on the very point of sinking when our Lord 
miraculously brought us upon land. Who will believe what 
I now write ? I assert that in this letter I have not related 
one-hundredth part of the wonderful events that occurred in 
this voyage; those who were with the Admiral can bear wit- 
ness to it. If your Highnesses would be graciously pleased 
to send to my help a ship of about sixty-four tons, with two 
hundred quintals of biscuit and other provisions, there would 
then be sufficient to carry me and my crew from Espaiiola to 
Spam. I have already said that there are not twenty-eight 
leagues between Jamaica and Espaiiola; and I should not have 
gone there, even if the ships had been in a fit condition for 
so doing, because your Highnesses ordered me not to land 
there. God knows if this command has proved of any ser- 
vice. I send this letter by means of and by the hands of In- 
dians: it will be a miracle if it reaches its destination. 

This is the account I have to give of my voyage. The 
men who accompanied me were a hundred and fifty in num- 
ber, among whom were many calculated for pilots and good 
sailors, but none of them can explain whither I went nor 
whence I came; the reason is very simple: I started from a 
point above the port of Brazil, and while I was in Espaiiola, 
the storm prevented me from following my intended route, 
for I was obliged to go wherever the wind drove me; at the 
same time I fell very sick, and there was no one who had 
navigated in these parts before. However, after some days, 



240 

the wind and sea became tranquil, and the storm was suc- 
ceeded by a calm, but, accompanied with rapid currents. 
I put into harbor at an island called Isla de las Bocas, and 
then steered for terra firma; but it is impossible to give a 
correct account of all our movements, because I was car- 
ried away by the current so many days without seeing land. 
I ascertained, however, by the compass and by observation, 
that I moved parallel with the coast of terra firma. No 
one could tell under what part of the heavens, we were, 
nor at what period I bent my course for the island of Es- 
panola. The pilots thought we had come to the island of 
Saint John, whereas it was the land of Mango, four hun- 
dred leagues to the westward of where they said. Let them 
answer and say if they know where Veragua is situated. 
I assert that they can give no other account than that they 
went to lands where there was an abundance of gold, and 
this they can certify surely enough; but they do not know 
the way to return thither for such a purpose; they would 
be obliged to go on a voyage of discovery as much as if 
they had never been there before. There is a mode of 
reckoning derived from astronomy which is sure and safe, 
and a sufficient guide to any one who understands it. This 
resembles a prophetic vision. The Indian vessels do not sail 
except with the wind abaft, but this is not because they 
are badly built or clumsy, but because the strong currents 
in those parts, together with the wind, render it impossi- 
ble to sail with the bow-line, for in one day they would 
lose as much way as they might have made in seven; for 
the same reason I could make no use of caravels, even 
though they were Portuguese latteens. This is the cause 
that they do not sail imless with a regular breeze, and they 
will sometimes stay in harbor waiting for this seven or eight 
months at a time; nor is this anything wonderful, for the 
same very often occurs in Spain. The nation of which Pope 
Pius writes has now been found, judging at least by the 
situation and other evidences, excepting the horses with 
the saddles and poitrels and bridles of gold; but this is not 
to be wondered at, for the lands on the sea coast are only 



241 

inhabited by fishermen, and moreover I made no stay there 
because I was in haste to proceed on my voyage. In Ca- 
riay and the neighboring country there are great enchanters 
of a very fearful character. They would have given the 
world to prevent my remaining there an hour. When I 
arrived they sent me immediately two girls very showily 
dressed; the eldest could not be more than eleven years of 
age, and the other seven, and both exhibited so much im- 
modesty that more could not be expected from public 
women; they carried concealed about them a magic powder; 
when they came I gave them some articles to dress them- 
selves out with, and directly sent them back to the shore. 
I saw here, built on a mountain, a sepulchre as large as a 
house, and elaborately sculptured; the body lay uncovered 
and with the face downward; they also spoke to me of 
other very excellent works of art. There are many species of 
animals, both small and large, and very different from those of 
our country. I had at the time two pigs and an Irish dog, who 
was always in great dread of them. An archer had wounced 
an animal like an ape, except that it was larger, and had a 
face like a man's; the arrow had pierced it from the neck 
to the tail, which made it so fierce that they were obliged to 
disable it by cutting off one of its arms and a leg; one of the 
pigs grew wild on seeing this, and fled; upon which I or- 
dered the begare (as the inhabitants called him,) to be thrown 
to the pig, and though the animal was nearly dead, and 
the arrow had passed quite through his body, yet he threw 
his tail round the snout of the pig, and then, holding him 
firmly, seized him by the nape of the neck with his remain- 
ing hand, as if he were engaged with an enemy. This 
action was so novel and so extraordinary that I have thought 
it worth while to describe it here. There is a great variety 
of animals here, but they all die of the barra. I saw some 
very large fowls (the feathers of which resemble wool,) 
lions, stags, fallow-deer and birds. 

When we were so harassed with our troubles at sea, 
some of our men imagined that we were under the influ- 
ence of sorcery, and even to this day entertain the same 



242 

notion. Some of the people whom I discovered were can- 
nibals, as was evidenced by the brutality of their counten- 
ances. They say that there are great mines of copper in 
the country, of which they make hatchets and other elab- 
orate articles, both cast and soldered; they also make of it 
forges, with all the apparatus of the goldsmith, and crucibles. 
The inhabitants go clothed; and in that province I saw 
some large sheets of cotton, very elaborately and cleverly 
worked, and others very delicately penciled in colors. They 
tell me, that more inland, toward Cathay, they have them 
interwoven with gold. For want of an interpreter we were 
able to learn but very little respecting these countries, or 
what they contain. Although the country is very thickly 
peopled, yet each nation has a very different language; 
indeed, so much so that they can no more understand each 
other than we understand the Arabs. I think, however, 
that this applies to the barbarians on the sea coast, and 
not to the people who live more inland. When I discover- 
ed the Indies 1 said that they composed the richest lordship 
in the world: 1 spoke of gold and pearls and precious stones, 
of spices and the traiific that might be carried on in them; 
and because these things were not forthcoming at once, 1 
was abused. This punishment causes me to refrain from 
relating anything but what the natives tell me. One thing 
I can venture upon stating, because there are so many 
witnesses of it, viz.: that in this land of Veragua I saw 
more signs of gold in the first two days than 1 saw in Es- 
pailola during four years, and that there is not a more 
fertile or better cultivated country in all the world, nor 
one whose inhabitants are more timid; added to which, 
there is a good harbor, a beautiful river, and the whole 
place is capable of being easily put into a state of defence. 
All this tends to the security of the Christians and the 
permanency of their sovereignty, while it affords the hope 
of great increase and honor to the Christian religion; 
moreover, the road hither will be as short as that to Es- 
paiiola, because there is a certainty of a fair wind for the 
passage. Your Highnesses are as much lords of this coun- 



243 

try as of Xerez or Toledo, and your ships that may come 
here will do so with the same freedom as if they were go- 
ing to your own royal palace. From hence they will ob- 
tain gold, and whereas, if they should wish to become 
masters of the products of other lands, they will have to 
take them by force or retire empty handed, in this country 
they will simply have to trust their persons in the hands 
of a savage. 

I have already explained my reason for refraining to 
treat of other subjects respecting which I might speak. 1 
do not state as certain, nor do I confirm even the sixth 
part of all that I have said or written, nor do I pretend 
to be at the fountain-head of the information. The Gen- 
oese, Venetians, and all other nations that possess pearls, 
precious stones, and other articles of value, take them to 
the ends of the world to exchange them for gold. Gold is 
the most precious of all commodities; gold constitutes trea- 
sure, and he who possesses it has all he needs in this world, 
as also the means of leading souls into paradise. They say 
that when one of the lords of the country of Veragua dies, 
they bury all the gold he possessed with his body. There 
were brought to Solomon at one journey six hundred and 
sixty-six quintals of gold, besides what the merchants and 
sailors brought, and that which was paid m Arabia. Of 
this gold he made 200 lances and 300 shields, and the en- 
tablature which was above them was also of gold and or- 
namented with precious stones: many other things he made 
likewise of gold, and a great number of vessels of great 
size, which he enriched with precious stones. This is re- 
lated by Josephus in his Chronicle de "Antiquitatibus;" 
mention is also made of it in Paralipomenon and in the 
Book of Kings. Josephus thinks that this gold was found 
in the Aurea; if it were so, I contend that these mines of 
the Aurea are identical with those of Veragua, which, as 
I have said before, extends westward twenty days' journey, 
at an equal distance from the pole and the line. Solomon 
bought all of it— gold, precious stones and silver — but your 
Majesties need only to send to seek them to have them at 



':44 

your pleasure. David, in his will, left three thousand quin- 
tals of Indian gold to Solomon, to assist in building the 
Temple; and, according to Josephus, it came from these 
lands. Jerusalem and Mount Zion are to be rebuilt by the 
hands of Christians, as God has declared by the mouth of 
His prophet in the Fourteenth Psalm. The Abbe Jcaquim 
said that he who should do this was to come from Spain: 
Saint Jerome showed the holy women the way to accom- 
plish it; and the Emperor of China has, some time since, 
sent for wise men to instruct him in the faith of Christ. 
Who will offer himself for this work ? Should any one do 
so, I pledge myself, in the name of God, to convey him 
safely thither, provided the Lord permits me to return to 
Spain. The people who have sailed with me have passed 
through incredible toil and danger, and I beseech your 
Highnesses, since they are poor, to pay them promptly, and 
to be gracious to each of them according to their respective 
merits; for I can safely assert, that to my belief they are 
the bearers of the best news that ever were carried to 
Spain. With respect to the gold which belongs to Ouibian, 
the cacique of Veragua, and other chiefs in the neighbor- 
ing country, although it appears by the accounts we have 
received of it to be very abundant, I do not think it would 
be well or desirable, on the part of your Highnesses, to 
take possession of it in the way of plunder; by fair deal- 
ing, scandal and disrepute will be avoided, and all the gold 
will thus reach your Highnesses' treasury without the loss 
of a grain. With one month of fair weather I shall com- 
plete my voyage. As I was deficient in ships, I did not 
persist in delaying my course; but in everything that con- 
cerns you Highnesses' service, I trust in Him who made 
me, and I hope also that my health will be re-established. I 
think your Highnesses will remember that I had intended to 
build some ships in a new manner, but the shortness of 
the time did not permit it. I had certainly foreseen how 
things would be. I think more of this opening for com- 
merce, and of the lordship over such extensive mines, than 



215 

of all that has been done in the Indies. This is not a child 
to be left to the care of a stepmother. 

I never think of Espafiola, and Paria, and other coun- 
tries, without shedding tears. I thought that what had 
occurred there would have been an example for others; on 
the contrary, these settlements are now in a languid state, 
although not dead and the malady is incurable, or at least very 
extensive: let him who brought the evil come now and cure it, 
if he knows the remedy, or how to apply it; but when a 
disturbance is on foot, every one is ready to take the lead. 
It used to be the custom to give thanks and promotion to 
■ him who placed his person in jeopardy; but there is no 
justice in allowing the man who opposed this undertaking 
to enjoy the fruits of it with his children. Those who left 
the Indies, avoiding the toils consequent upon the enter- 
prise, and speaking evil of it and me, have since returned 
with official appointments: such is the case now in Vera- 
gua: it is an evil example, and profitless both as regards 
the business in which we are embarked and as respects 
the general maintenance of justice. The fear of this, with 
other sufficient considerations which I clearly foresaw, caus- 
ed me to beg your Highnesses, previously to my coming 
to discover these islands and terra firma, to grant me per- 
mission to govern m your royal name. Your Highnesses 
granted my request; and it was a privilege and treaty grant- 
ed under the royal seal and oath, by which I was nomin- 
ated Viceroy, and Admiral, and Governor-General of all; 
and your Highnesses limited the extent of my government 
to a hundred leagues beyond the Azores and Cape Verd 
Islands, by a line passing from one pole to the other, and 
gave me ample power over all that I might discover be- 
yond this line; all which is more fully described in the 
official document 

But the most important affair of all, and that which 
cries most loudly for redress, remains inexplicable to this 
moment. For seven years was I at your royal court, where 
every one to whom the enterprise was mentioned treated 
it as ridiculous; but now there is not a man, down to the 



240 

very tailors, who does not beg to be allowed to become 
a discoverer. There is reason to believe that they make 
the voyage only for plunder, and that they are permitted 
to do so, to the great disparagement of my honor, and the 
detriment of the undertaking itself. It is right to give 
God his due, and to receive that which belongs to one's 
self. This is a just sentiment and proceeds from just feel- 
ings. The lands in this part of the world which are now 
under your Highnesses' sway, are richer and more exten- 
sive than those of any other Christian power, and yet, after 
that I had, by the Divine will, placed them under your 
high and royal sovereignty and was on the point of bring- 
ing your Majesties into the receipt of a very great and 
unexpected revenue; and while I was waiting for ships to 
convey me in safety, and with a heart full of joy, to your 
royal presence, victoriously to announce the news of the 
gold that I had discovered, I was arrested and thrown, with 
my two brothers, loaded with irons, into a ship, stripped, and 
very ill-treated, without being allowed any appeal to justice. 
Who could believe that a poor foreigner would have risen 
against your Highnesses, in such a place, without any motive 
or argument on his side; without even the assistance of any 
other prince upon which to rely; buton the contrary, amongst 
your own vassals and natural subjects, and with my sons 
staying at your royal court ? I was twenty-eight years old 
when I came into your Highnesses' service, and now I have 
not a hair upon me that is not grey; my body is infirm, and 
all that was left to me, as well as to my brothers, has been 
taken away and sold, even to the frock that I wore, to my 
great dishonor. I cannot but believe that this w^as done with- 
out your royal permission. The restitution of my honor, the 
reparation of my losses, and the punishment of those w'ho 
have inflicted them, will redound to the honor of your royal 
character, a similar punishment also is due to those who plun- 
dered me of my pearls, and who have brought a disparage- 
ment upon the privileges of my Admiralty. Great and un- 
exampled will be the glory and fame of your Highnesses, if 
you do this; and the memory of your Highnesses, as just and 



247 

grateful sovereigns, will survive as a bright example to 
Spain in future ages. The honest devotedness I have shown 
to your Majesties' service, and the so unmerited outrage 
with which it has been repaid, will not allow my soul to 
keep silence, however much I may wish it: I implore your 
Highnesses to forgive my complaints. I am indeed in as 
ruined a condition as I have related; hitherto I have wept 
over others; may Heaven now have mercy upon me, and 
may the earth weep for me. With regard to temporal 
things, I have not even a blanca for an offering; and in 
spiritual things, I have ceased here in the Indies from ob- 
serving the prescribed forms of religion. Solitary in my 
trouble, sick, and in daily expectation of death, surrounded 
by millions of hostile savages full of cruelty, and thus sep- 
arated from the blessed sacraments of our holy Church, 
how will my soul be forgotten if it be separated from the 
body in this foreign land ? Weep for me, whoever has 
charity, truth, and justice ! I did not come out on this 
voyage to gain to myself honor or wealth; this is a certain 
fact, for at that time all hope of such a thing was dead. 
I do not lie when I say that I went to your Highnesses 
with honest purpose of heart and sincere zeal in your cause. 
I humbly beseech your Highnesses, that if it please God 
to rescue me from this place, you will graciously sanction 
my pilgrimage to Rome and other holy places. May the 
Holy Trinity protect your Highnesses* lives, and add to the 
prosperity of your exalted position. 

Done in the Indies, in the island of Jamaica, on the 
seventh of July, in the year one thousand five hundred 
and three. 



248 



WILL OF COLUMBUS.i 

In the noble city of Valladolid, on the nineteenth day of the month of May, 
in the year of the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ one thousand five 
hundred and six, before me, Pedro de Hinojcdo, clerk of the council 
of their Highnesses, provincial clerk in their court and chancellery, 
clerk and notary public in all their kingdoms and seigniories; and of 
subscribing witnesses: SeSor Don Christobal Colon, Admiral, Vice- 
roy, and Governor-General of the islands and mainland of the Indies 
discovered and by him designated; being infirm in body, he has de- 
clared that whereas he had made his will before a public clerk, that 
he now did revise and revises the said will, and he did approve and 
has approved it well, and if necessary he did authorize and has author- 
ized it anew. And now, having enlarged his said will, he had writ- 
ten b)' his own hand a manuscript which he showed and presented 
before me the said clerk, which he said was written b}' his own hand, 
and signed with his name, that he did authorize and has authorized all 
that is contained in the said manuscript, before me the said clerk, ac- 
cording to and in the manner and form that is contained in said manus- 
cript, and that all the bequests therein contained shall be executed, 
and be binding as his latest and final wish ^nd to execute his said 
will which he had and has made and authorized, and all that is there- 
in contained, each and every part of it, he did' name and has named 
for his executors and fulfillers of his intention Senor Don Diego Colon, 
his son, and Don Bartholomew Colon, his brother, and Juan de Hor- 
ras treasurer of Vizcaya, that they all three shall execute his will, 
and all therein contained and in the said manuscript, and all the be- 
quests, legacies and dispositions therein contained. For which pur- 
pose he said that he did give, and has given, all the authority requisite, 
and that he did authorize and has authorized before me the said clerk 
all that is contained in the said manuscript; and to those present 
he said thai he did request and has requested that they should be 
witnesses of it. The witnesses who were present, summoned and 
requested to observe all that is said below, the Bachelor Andres 
Mirueiia and Caspar de la Misericordia, inhabitants of this said city 
of Valladolid, and Bartolome de Fresco, and Alvaro Perez, and Juan 
Despinosa, and Andrea and Hernando de Vargas, and Francisco Man- 

1 Written August, 2oth, 1505, and executed at Valladolid, May, 19th, 
1506, the day before Columbus died. '1 he original text is in Navarrete's 
Coleccion de loa Viages, . . . Madrid, 1825. 



240 



uel and Fernan Martinez, servants of the said Senor Admiral. The 
tenor of which said manuscript, as it was written with the own hand 
of the said Admiral, and signed with his name, de verbo ad verbum, is 
as follows: 

When I departed from Spain in the year fifteen hun- 
dred and two, I had prepared an ordinance and mayorazgo 
of my property, and in a manner which then seemed to 
me to conform to my wish and to the service of the eter- 
nal God, and to my honor and that of my successors: which 
manuscript I left in the monastery of Cuevas in Seville, in 
the care of Fray Don Gaspar,^ with my other manuscripts 
and my privileges, and the letters which I possess of the 
King and of the Queen, our Sovereigns. The which ordinance 
I approve and confirm by this, which I write for the better 
accomplishment and declaration of my intention. The 
which I direct that it be executed in the manner herein 
specified and contained, that which is provided for by this, 
is not to be executed by the other, for there is to be no 
repetition. 

I appoint my dear son Don Diego to be tny heir of all my 
property and offices xohich I hold by right and inheritance as de- 
termined in the m,ayorazgo, and if he should haoe no legal male heir 
that Tny son Don Ferdinand shall inherit in the same manner, 
arid if he should have no legal male heir that Don Dartholomew, 
m.y brother shall inherit in the same manner, arid liketoise if he 
should have no male heir, that my other brother shall inherit/ 
thus it is intended, from one to the other next of kin of my family 
and this continually. And there shall be no female heir unless 
the males become extinct, and if that should happen let it be the 
female nearest of kin of my family. 

And I direct the said Don Diego, my son, or whoever 
shall inherit, that they shall neither think nor presume to 
abridge the said mayorazgo, only to increase it and enforce 
it: it is to be understood that the income which he shall 
have, with his person and estate, shall be at the service of 
the King and Queen, our Sovereigns, and for the propaga- 
tion of the Christian religion. 

2 Gaspar Gorricio, a close friend of Columbus. 



250 

The King and the Queen, our Sovereigns, when I present- 
ed to them the Indies — I say presented, because it is evi- 
dent that by the will of God, our Sovereign, I gave them, 
as a thing that was mine, I can say, because I importuned 
their royal Highnesses for them, which were unknown, and 
the way hidden from those who spoke concerning them, 
and for the voyage of discovery excepting to use the in- 
formation and my person, their royal Highnesses did not 
expend or desire to expend for the purpose more than a 
million of maravedis, and it was necessary for me to expend 
the rest: thus it pleased their royal Highnesses that I should 
have for my portion, out of the said Indies, islands and main- 
land which are to the west of a line that they ordered to 
be drawn between the islands of the Azores, and those of 
Cape Verd, one hundred leagues, which extends from pole 
to pole; that I should have for my portion the third and 
the eighth of all, and also the tenth of whatever is found 
therein, as is declared more fully by my said privileges and 
letters of grants. 

Because heretofore there has been no revenue received 
from the said Indies, so that I could separate therefrom 
the sums which I will mention below, and we hope that 
by the clemency of our sovereign it may amount to a very 
large sum; my intention would be and is, that Don P'erdin- 
and, my son, should receive of it one million and a half 
each year, and Don Bartholomew, my brother, one hundred 
and fifty thousand maravedis, and Don Diego, my brother 
one hundred thousand maravedis, because he belongs to 
the Church. But this cannot be assured with certainty, 
because heretofore I have not received nor do I have any 
known income, as has already been declared, 

I say, for the further declaration of the aforesaid, that 
my wish is that the said Don Diego, my son, shall have 
the said mayorazgo with all my property and offices, in the 
manner already declared, and as I hold them. And I say 
that all the incoine tnhlch he shall receive by reason of the said 
inheritance^ that he shall have ten parts of it every year, and that 
one part of these ten he shall divide among our relatives who ap- 



251 

pear to have the most need of it, and poor persons, and in other 
pious works. And afterward from the remaining nine parts 
he shall take two and divide them into thirty-five parts, and 
of these Don Ferdinand, my son, shall have twenty-seven, 
and Don Bartholomew shall have five, and Don Diego, my 
brother three. And because, as I have already declared, 
my wish would be that Don Ferdinand, my son, should 
have one million and a half, and Don Bartholomew one 
hundred and fifty thousand maravedis, and Don Diego one 
hundred thousand; and I do not know how it may be as- 
sured, because heretofore the said income of the said may- 
orazgo has not been known nor the amount; I say that 
this order aforesaid should be followed until it shall please 
our Sovereigns that the said two parts of the said nine 
shall be sufficient and shall amount to such an increase 
that they shall contain the said million and a half for Don 
Ferdinand, and one hundred and fifty thousand for Don 
Bartholomew, and one hundred thousand for Don Diego. 
And when it shall please God that it may be so, or that 
if the said two parts, to be understood of the nine afore- 
said, shall amount to the sum of one million seven hundred 
and fifty thousand maravedis, that all the surplus should 
belong to Don Diego, my son, or whoever shall inherit; 
and I say and request of the said Don Diego, my son, or 
of whoever shall inherit, that if the income of this said 
mayorazgo shall grow largely, that it will please me to have 
the portion aforesaid increased to Don Ferdinand and to 
my brothers. 

I say that this part which I direct to give to Don Fer- 
dinand, my son, that I make of it a mayorazgo for him, 
and that to him shall succeed his eldest son and in like 
manner from one to the other perpetually, without the 
power to sell or exchange or give or abuse in any way, 
and it shall be in the manner and form which was declar- 
ed in the other mayorazgo which I have made for Don 
Diego, my son. 

I say to Don Diego, my son, and I direct that as soon 
as he shall have income from the said mayorazgo an inher- 



252 



itance sufficient to maintain a chapel, that he shall cause 
to be appointed three chaplains who shall say three masses 
every day — one to the honor of the Holy Trinity, another 
to the Conception of our Lady, and the other for the souls 
of all the faithful dead, aiid for mi/ sokI and that of t ay father 
and mother and wife. And that if his wealth is sufficient 
that he shall enrich the said chapel, and shall increase the 
supplications and prayers for the honor of the Holy Trin- 
ity, and if this can be done in the island of Espailola which 
God gave lo me miraculously, I would be glad to have it 
there where I invoked it, which is in the plam called of the 
Conception. 

I say and direct to Don Diego, my son, or to whoever 
shall inherit, that he shall pay all the debts which I leave 
here in a memorial, in the form therem specified, and all the 
others which justly seem to be owned by me. And I direct 
him that he shall have special care for Beatrice Enriquez, the 
mother of Don Ferdinand, my son, that he shall provide for 
her so that she may live comfortably, like a person should for 
whom I have so much regard. And this shall be done for 
the ease of my conscience, because this has weighed heavily 
on my soul. The reason therefore it is not proper to mention 
here. Done on the twenty-fifth of August in the year one 
thousand five hundred and five. 

Cfiristo ferens. 
The witnesses who were present and who saw done and authorized ali 
the above said by the said Seiior Admiral, according to and in the manner 
aforesaid: the said Bachelor de Miruena, Caspar de la Misericordia, inhab- 
itants of the said city of Valladolid and Bartolomt' de Fresco and Alvar 
Perez and Juan Despinosa and Andrea and Fernando dc Vargas and Fran- 
cisco Manuel and Fernan Martinez, servants of the said Seiior Admiral. 
And I, the said Pedro de Hinojedo, clerk and notary public aforesaid, to- 
gether with the said witnesses, to all the aforesaid I was present. And 
therefore I put here this my notarial mark as such: in testimony of the 
truth —Pedro de Hinojedo, clerk. 



254 



THE BULL OF DEMARCATION OF ALEXANDER VI. 

From the Maynum Bullariwn Romaiiiua. 
Vol. V, pp. 3«*.0 ff. 

Alexander episcopus servus servorum Dei, carissimo 
in Christo filio Ferdinando regi et carissimae in Christo 
filise Elizabeth reginse Castellae, Legionis, Aragonum, Sici- 
liae et Granatas illustribus salutem et apostolicam benedic- 
tionem. 

Inter caetera divinge Maiestati beneplacita opera et cor- 
dis nostri desiderabilia, illud profecto potissimum exstitit, ut 
fides catholica et Christiana religio, nostris praesertim 
temporibus, exaltetur ac ubilibet amplietur; animarum- 
que salus procuretur, ac barbaricae nationes deprimantur, 
et ad fidem ipsam reducantur. Unde cum ad banc sacram 
Petri Sedem divina favente dementia (meritis licet impari- 
bus) evecti fuerimus, cognoscentes vos, tanquam veros cath- 
olicos reges et principes, quales semper fuisse novimus ut a 
vobis prasclare gesta toti pene iam orbi notissima demons- 
trant, nedum id exoptare, sed omni conatu, studio et diligen- 
tia, nullis laboribus, nullis impensis, nullisque parcendo 
periculis, etiam proprium sanguinem effundendo, efificere; ac 
omnem animum vestrum, omnesque conatus ad hoc iamdu- 
dum dedicasse, quemadmodum recuperatio regni Grana- 
tse a tyrannide Saracenorum, hodiernis temporibus per vos 
cum tanta divini nominis gloria facta, testatur, digne duci- 
mus non immerito, et debemus ilia vobis etiam sponte et 
favorabiliter concedere, per quae huiusmodi sanctum et 
laudabile ab immortali Deo coeptum propositum in dies 
ferventiori animo, ad ipsius Dei honorem et imperii chris- 
tiani propagationem, prosequi valeatis. 

§ 1. Sane accepimus quod vos iamdudum animo pro- 
posueratis aliquas insulas et terras firmas remotas et incogni- 
tas, ac per alios hactenus non repertas quaerere et invenire, ut 
illarum incolas et habitatores ad colendum Redemptorem nos- 



255 



BULL OF DONATION OF POPE ALEXANDER VL 

Alexander, Bishop, Servant of the Servants of God: To our 
dearly beloved Son in Christ Ferdinand, King, and to 
our dearly beloved Daughter, Isabella, Queen of Cas- 
tile, Legion, Aragon, Sicilie, and Granada, most illus- 
trious Princes; Health and Apostolic benediction. 

Among other works pleasing to the Divine Majesty, 
and for which our heart most longs, this is the chief, that 
the Catholic faith and Christian religion, especially in our 
day may, in all places, be exalted, amplified and enlarged, 
whereby the Salvation of souls may be attained and bar- 
barous nations subdued and brought to the faith. There- 
fore, whereas by the favor of the Divine clemency (though 
not with equal merit) we were called to the holy see of 
Peter, and knowing you to be always true Catholic princes, 
and as your worthy and noble actions have declared in a 
manner to the whole world, in that with all your study, 
diligence and industry, you have spared no pains, expense, 
nor dangers, risking even the shedding of blood, with 
applying your whole minds and endeavors hereunto, as your 
noble expeditions accomplished in rescuing the kingdoms 
of Granada from the tyranny of the Saracens, in these our 
days do declare your actions to be to the glory of the 
Divine Name. For the which, as we deem you worthy, 
so ought we, spontaneously to grant all things whereby you 
may daily, with more fervent minds, to the honor of God, 
and enlarging the Christian empire, carry out your devout 
and laudable purpose most acceptable to the immortal God. 
We are credibly informed that whereas of late you were 
determined to seek out and find certain islands and main- 
lands far remote and unknown, and not heretofore discov- 
ered by any other, with the purpose of bringing the inhab- 
itants of the same to honor our Redeemer and to profess 
the Catholic faith, you have hitherto been much occupied 



256 

trum, et fidem catholicam profitendum reduceretis; hac- 
tenus in expugnatione et recuperatione ipsius regni Granatce 
plurimum occupati, huiusmodi sanctum et laudabile propo- 
situm vestrum ad optatum finem perducere nequivistis; sed 
tandem Domino placuit, regno prsedicto recuperato, volentes 
desiderium adimplere vestrum, delectum filium Christo- 
phorum Columbum, virum utique dignum et plurimum 
commendandum ac tanto negotio aptum, cum navibus et 
hominibus ad similia instructis, non sine maximis labori- 
bus et periculis ac expensis destinatis, ut terras firmas et 
insulas remotas et incognitas huiusmodi, per mare ubi hac- 
tenus navigatum non fuerat, diligenter inquireret. 

§ 2 Qui tandem, divino auxilio, facta extrema diligentia, 
in mare oceano navigantes, certas insulas remotissimas et 
etiam terras firmas quae per alios hactenus repertai non fu- 
erant, invenerunt, in quibus quam plurimae gentis pacifice 
viventes et, ut asseritur, nudas incedentes, nee carnibus vescen. 
tes inhabitant, et, ut prtefati nuncii vestri possunt opinari 
gentes ipsae in insulis et terris praedictis habitantes credunt 
unum Deum creatorem in coelis esse ac ad fidem Catholicam 
amplexandum et bonis moribus imbuendum satis apti viden- 
tur; spesc^ue habetis, quod, si erudirentur, nomen Salvatoris 
Domini nostri Jesu Christi in terris et insulis praedictis fater- 
etur; ac praefatus Christophorus ex una ex principalibus 
insulis praedictis, iam unam turrim satis munitam, in qua 
certos christianos qui secum iveraut, in custodiam et ut alias 
insulas et terras firmas remotas et incognitas inquirerent, 
posuit, construi et aedificari fecit. 

§ 8. In quibus quidem insulis et terris iam repertis aurum, 
aromata, et alise quam plurimai res pretiosse diversi generis et 
diversae qualitatis reperiuntur. 

§ 4. Unde omnibus diligenter et praesertim fidei catholi- 
cee exaltatione et dilatatione (prout decet catholicos reges et 
principes) consideratis, more progenitorum vestrorum clarse 
memoriae reguni, terras firmas et insulas pra^'dictas, illarum- 
que incolas et habitatores vobis divina favente dementia sub- 
iicere et ad fidem catholicam reducere promisistis. 



257 

in the redemption and recovery of the kingdom of Grana- 
da, by reason of which you could not bring your said 
laudable purpose to the desired end. Nevertheless, as it 
has pleased Almighty God, the aforesaid kingdom being 
recovered, willing to accomplish your said desire, you have 
not, without great labor, perils and expenses, appointed 
our well beloved son, Christopher Columbus, a man, surely 
well recommended and apt for so great a matter, well 
furnished with ships and other necessaries, to seek, by sea, 
where until now, no man hath sailed, such mainlands and 
islands far remote, and hitherto unknown. Who, by God's 
help, making diligent search in the Ocean Sea, hath found 
certain remote islands and mainlands which were not 
hitherto found by another. In which, it is affirmed, many 
nations inhabit, living peaceably, going naked and not 
accustomed to eating flesh. And, so far as your messen- 
gers can ascertain, the nations inhabiting the aforesaid 
lands and islands believe in one God Creator in heaven, 
and seem capable of being brought to embrace the Catholic 
faith, and to be taught good manners. By reason whereof 
we may hope that if they be well instructed, they may 
readily be induced to receive the name of our Saviour 
Jesus Christ. We are further informed that the aforesaid 
Christopher has now built and erected a fortress with good 
munition on one of the aforesaid principal islands, in which 
he has placed a garrison of certain of the Christians who 
went thither with him; as well with the intent to defend 
the same, as also to search other mainlands far remote and 
yet unknown. We also understand that in these lands and 
islands lately discovered, there is plenty of gold and spices, 
with divers and many other precious things of sundry kinds 
and qualities. Therefore, all things diligently considered, 
especially the amplyfying and extending of the Catholic 
faith, as it becomes Catholic Princes (following the exam- 
ple of four noble progenitors of happy memory) whereas 
you are determined by the favor of Almighty God to sub- 
due and bring to the Catholic faith the inhabitants of the 
aforesaid lands and islands. 



258 

§ f). Nos igitur huiusmodi vestrum sanctnm et laudabile 
propositum plurimum in Domino commendantes, ac cupien- 
tes ut illud ad debitum finem perducatur, et ipsum nomen 
Salvatoris nostri in partibus illis inducatur, hortamur vos 
quam plurimum in Domino, et per sacrilavacri susceptioneni 
qua mandatis apostolicis obligati estis, et viscera misericor- 
dite Domini nostri Jesu Christi, attente requirimus ut cum 
expeditionem huiusmodi omnino prosequi et assumere proba 
mente, orthodoxse fidei zelo, intendatis, populos in huiusmodi 
insulis et terris degentes ad christianam religionem sus- 
cipiendum inducere velitis et debeatis; nee pericula nee 
labores ullo unquam tempore vos deterreant firma spe fidu- 
ciaque conceptis, quod Deus omnipotens conatus vestros 
feliciter prosequetur. 

§ 6. Et ut tanti negoti provinciam, apostolicae gra- 
trse largitate donati, Uberius et audacius assumatis, motu 
proprio, non ad vestram vel alterius pro vobis super hoc 
nobis oblatEe petitionis instantiam, * sed de nostra mera lib- 
eralitate et ex certa scientia ac de apostolicae potestatis 
plenitudine, omnes insulas et terras firmas inventas et in- 
veniendas, detectas et detegendas versus occidentem et 
meridiem, fabricando et construendo unam lineam a polo 
arctico, scilicet septentrione, ad polum antarcticum, scilicet 
meridiem, sive terrse firmse et insula inventae et invenien- 
dze sint, versus Indiam aut versus aliam quamcumque 
partem, quae linea distet a qualibet insularum quae vul- 
gariter nuncupantur de los Azores y Cabo Vierde, centum 
leucis versus occidentem et meridiem, ita qud omnes insu- 
lae et terrse firman repertae et reperienda;, detectas et dete- 
gendse a prsefata linea versus occidentem at meridiem per 
alium regem aut principem christianun, non fueriut actua. 
liter possessae usque ad diem Nativitatis Domini nostri lesu 
Christi proxime pr^eteritum a quo incipit annus pra;- 
sens, millesimus quadringentesimus nonagesimus tertius^ 
quando fuerunt per nuntios et capitaneos vestros inventae 
aliquai prajdictarum insularum * * auctoritate omnipotentis 
Dei nobis in beato Petro concessa, ac vicariatus Jesu Christi, 
qua f ungimur in terris, cum omnibus illarum dominiis, civitati- 



250 

We, greatly commending your holy and laudable pur- 
pose in Our Lord, and anxious to have the same brought 
to a successful end, and the name of our Saviour to be 
known in these parts, do exhort you in Our Lord, and by 
the receiving of your holy Baptism whereby you are bound 
to Apostolical obedience, and earnestly require you by the 
bowels of mercy of Our Lord Jesus Christ, that, when you 
intend, for the zeal of the Catholic faith, to prosecute the 
said expedition to lead the people of the aforesaid lands 
and islands to the Christian religion, you shall spare no 
labors at any time, nor be deterred by any perils, con- 
vinced of a firm hope and confidence that the Omnipotent 
God will give good success to your holy efforts. And that 
being authorized by the privilege of the Apostolic grace, 
you may the more freely and boldly take upon you the 
enterprise of so great a matter, we of our own motion, 
and not at either your request or at the instant petition 
of any other person, but of our own mere liberality and 
certain knowledge and by the fullness of Apostolic power, 
do give, grant and assign to you, your heirs and successors, 
all the mainlands and islands found or to be found, discov- 
ered or to be discovered toward the West and South, 
drawing a line from the Arctic or North pole, to the Ant- 
arctic or South pole; containing in this donation whatso- 
ever mainlands or islands are found toward India or toward 
any other part whatsoever it be, being distant from, or 
without the aforesaid line drawn a hundred leagues towards 
the West and South from any of the islands which are com- 
monly called de los Azores and Ccibo Verde. 

All the islands and mainlands, therefore, found or to 
be found, discovered and to be discovered from the said 
line towards the West and South, such as have not actually 
been heretofore possessed by any other Christian King or 
prince until the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus 
Christ last past, from the which beginneth this present 
year being the year of Our Lord M, CCC, Ixxxxiii, when- 
soever any such shall be found by your messengers and 
captains, we, by the authority of Almighty God granted 



260 

bus, castris, locis et villis iuribusque etiurisdictionibus ac per- 
tinentiis universis, vobis hceredibusque et successoribus vestris 
(Castellffi et Legionis regibus) in perpetuum tenure prse- 
sentium, donamus et assignamus; vosque et haeredes et 
successores praefatos illarum dominos cum plena, libera et 
omnimoda potestate, auctoritate et iurisdictione facimus, 
constituimus et deputamus. 

§ 7 Decernentes nihilominus per huiusmodi donatio- 
nem, concessionem, et assignationem nostram nulli chris 
tiano principi, qui actualiter prcefatas insulas et terras 
firmas possederit usque ad dictum diem Nativitatis Dommi 
nostri Jesu Christi, ius qu^esitum sublatum intelligi posse 
aut auferri debere. Et insuper mandamus vobis in virtute 
sancta; obedientiae (sicut pollicemini et non dubitamus pro 
vestra maxima devotione et regia magnanimitate vos esse 
facturos) ad terras firmas et insulas praedictas virus pro- 
bus et Deum timentes, ductus, peritus et expertus ad 
instruendum inculas et habitatures in fide tathulica, et 
bunis muribus imbuendum destinare debeatis, omnem debi- 
tam diligentiam in prsemissis adhibentes. 

§ 8 Ac quibuscumque persunis, cuiuscuinque dignitatis, 
etiam imperialis et regalis status, gradus, urdinis vel cun- 
ditiunis, sub excummunicatiunis latee sententite poena, quam 
eu ipso, si contra fecerint, districtius * * * inhibemus ne ad 
insulas et terras firmas inventas et inueniendas, detectas 
et detegendas versus occidentem et meridiem, fabricando 
et construendo lineam a polo arctico ad polum antarcticum, 
sive terrae firmse et insulse inventae et inveniendae sint 
versus Indiam, aut versus aliquam quamcumque partem, 
qute linea distet a qualibet insularum qUcTe vulgariter nun- 
cupantur de los Azores y Cabo Vierde, centum leucis versus 
occidentem et meridiem, ut prsefertur, * * * * pro mercibus 
habendis vel quavis alia de causa accedere praesumant abs- 
que vestra ac haeredum et successorum vestrorum pra^dic- 
torum licentia speciali. 

§ 9. Non obstantibus constitutionibus et ordination- 
ibus apustulicis ceterisque cuntrariis quibuscumque. In 



261 

unto us in blessed Peter, and by the office which we bear 
on earth as Vicar of Jesus Christ, do for ever, by the tenor 
of these presents, give, grant and assign unto you, your 
heirs and successors (the Kings of Castile and Legion) all 
these lands and islands, with these dominions, territories, 
cities, castles, towers, places and villages, with all the 
right and jurisdiction thereto pertaining: constituting, assign- 
ing and deputing you, your heirs and successors the lords 
thereof, with full and free power, authority and jurisdic- 
tion. Decreeing, nevertheless, by this, our donation, grant, 
and assignation, that from no Christian prince which 
actually hath possessed the aforesaid islands and mainlands 
unto the day of the Nativity of Our Lord beforesaid, 
their right obtained, to be understood to be hereby taken 
away, or that it ought to be taken away. 

Furthermore we command you, in virtue of holy obe- 
dience (as you have promised and as we doubt not you 
will do out of pure devotion and royal magnanimity) to 
send to the said mainlands and islands, honest virtuous and 
learned men, such as fear God, and are able to instruct 
the inhabitants in the Catholic faith and good manners, 
applying all their possible diligence in the premises. 

We furthermore strictly inhibit all manner of persons, 
of what state degree, order or condition soever they be, 
although of imperial or regal dignity, under sentence of 
excommunication which they shall incur if they do to the 
contrary, that they in no case presume without special 
license of you, your heirs and successors, to travel for 
merchandise or for any other cause, to the said lands or 
islands, found or to be found, discovered or to be discov- 
ered, toward the West and South, drawing a line from the 
Arctic Pole to the Anatrctic Pole, whether the mainlands 
and islands found and to be found, be situated toward 
India or toward any other part, being distant from the 
line drawn a hundred leagues toward the West from any 
lands commonly called 'V^e los Azores" and " Cabo Verde."" 
Notwithstanding constitutions, decrees and Apostolic ordin- 
ances whatsoever they are to the contrary, in Him from 



262 



Illo a quo imperia et dominationes ac bona cuncta proce- 
dunt confidentes quod dirigente Domino actus vestros si 
huiusmodi sanctum et laudabile propositum prosequamini, 
brevi tempore cun felicitate et gloria totius populi chris- 
tani, vestri labores et conatus exitum felicissimum conse- 
quentur, 

Verum, quia dificile foret, etc. • 

Nulli ergo etc. 
Datum Romge aput S. Petrum, anno Incarnationis 
dominicae millesimo quadringentesimo nonagesimo tertio 
quarto nonas Maii, pontificatus nostri anno primo. 

Dat. die 4 Maii, 1493, pontif. anno I, 



The Bull Inter Cwtera, however, as given above was not 
the first Bull drafted and issued by the Pope in reference to 
lands newly discovered by Columbus. On the previous day 
(May 3d, 1493,) he had published a Bull, the text of which 
for the greater part agrees with that of the Bull Inter Ccetera. 
But it differs from the latter in its most vital passages, ^. e,, 
those laying down the line of demarcation, that was to separ- 
ate the possessions of the King of Portugal from those of the 
Spanish Sovereigns. We shall indicate the omissions and 
insertions by referring to the Bull Inter CVc^era printed above. 
The copy of the Bull of May 3d, is preserved in Royal 
Archives at Jamaica, and printed in Navarrete's Colleccion, 
Vol. II. p. 23 et seq. 

Instead of the words "sed cle nostra mera'^ until "auctori- 
tate omnijyotentis" indicated in our reprint by stars, the Bull 
of May 3d has: 

* Sed de nostra mera liberalitate, et ex scientia ac de 
apostolicae potestatis plenitudine, omnes et singulas terras 
et insulas prredictas, sic incognitas, et hactenus per nuntios 
vestros repertas et reperiendas in posterum, (|uai sub dominio 
actual! temporali aliquorum dominorum Christianorum Con- 
stitutae non sint, etc. 



263 

whom Empires, dominions and all good things do proceed. 
Confident that God directing your undertakings, if you 
follow 5''our holy and laudable efforts, your labors and 
endeavors shall, in a short time obtain a happy end with 
happiness and glory to all Christian people. But, foras- 
much as it should be a matter of great difficulty for these 
letters to be carried to all such places as should be expe- 
dient, we will, and of like motion and knowledge, do decree 
that whithersoever the same shall be sent, or wheresover 
they shall be received with the subscription of a common 
notary thereunto required, with the seal of any person 
constitute in ecclesiastical dignity, or such as are authorized 
by the ecclesiastical court, the same faith and credit to be 
given thereunto in judgment or elsewhere, as should be 
exhibited to these presents. 

It shall therefore be lawful for no man to infringe or 
rashly to disregard this letter of our commendation, exhorta- 
tion, request, donation, grant, assignation, constitution, depu- 
tation, decree, commandment, inhibition and determination. 
And if any shall presume to attempt the same, he must know 
that he shall thereby incur the indignation of Almighty God, 
and His holy Apostles Peter and Paul. 

Given at Rome, at Saint Peter's, in the year of the Incar- 
nation of Our Lord M. CCCC| LXXXXIII. The fourth day 
of the nones of May, and the first year of our Pentificate. 



264 

The Bull of May 3d omits the words from inhihenois to 
'■lit proefertur' and substitutes the following: 

* * Inhibemusne ad insulaset terras praedictaspostquam 
per vestros nuntios seu ad id missos inventae et recepta; 
tuerint, etc. 

Between § 8 and § 9 of the Bull Inter Ccntera the earlier 
Bull inserted the words: 

* * * Et quia etiam nonnulli Portugalliae Reges in 
partibus Africae, Guineas et Mener^ Auri alias insulas simi- 
liter etiam ex concessione Apostolica eis facta repererunt et 
acquisiverunt et per sedem apostolicam eis diuersa privilegia, 
gratise, libertates, immunitates, exentiones et indulta con- 
cessa fuerunt, Nos vobis ac hseredibus et subcesoribus ves- 
tris praedictis ut insulis et terris per vos repertis, et reperien- 
dis hujus modi omnibus et singulis gratiis, privilegiis, 
exentionibus, libertatibus, facultatibus, immunitatibus et 
indultis hujusmodi, quorum omnium tenores, ac si de verbo ad 
verbum praesentibus msererentur, haberi volumus pro suffi- 
cienter expressis et insertis, ubi potiri et gaudere libere et licite 
possitis ac debeatis, in omnibus et per omnia, perinde ac si 
vobis ac haeredibus et subcesoribus praedictis specialiter con- 
cessa fuissent, motu, auctoritate, scientia, et Apostolica Potes- 
tatis plenitudine similibus de specialis dono gratige indul- 
gemus, illaque in omnibus et per omnia ad vos, haeredes ac 
subcesores vestros praedictos extendimus pariter et am- 
pliamus; etc. 



265 



THREE BRIEFS OF POPE JULIUS II IN FAVOR OF 
THE COLUMBUS FAMILY.^ 



Carissinio in x]}0 Jilio nostra ferdinando Aragonum et 
Cecilie Regi Catholico. 

Carissime in xpo fili noster Saliitem et apostolicam bene- 
dictionem proficiscens ad Maiestatem tuam dilectus filius 
Bartholomeus colori (sic) germanus Cristofori colori qui an- 
nis superioribus repperit illas insulas in Indie partibus cum 
nos cum Intellegeremuscum tue Maiestatisesseseruitoremut 
diu in illis Insulis commoratum libenter vidimus et audiui- 
mus et certe cum xpiane reipublice in earum Insularum 
Inuentione tantum profuerint digni videntur omni fauore 
et protectione. Quare ipsum Bartholomeum et eius fratris 
dictorum Insularum admiratum Maiestati tue in eorum 
negotiis non vulgariter commendamus, datum etc. 

IL 
Carissime in xpo fili noster Salutem etc. Cum esset in 
itinere ad Maiestatem tuam Veniendi dilectus filius Bar- 
tholomeus Colum (sic) germanus xpofori Colon qui annis 
superioribus repperit facere tentauerat vnde non solum 
auri et margaritarum ac aromatum et aliorum mercimon- 
iorum habundantissima coppia verum etiam innumerabiles 
Anime aqua salutaris ablute ed Abluende religioni xpiane 
et Chatholice fidei acquisite sunt et acquiri deo propitio 
sperantur. Et propterea postquam nonnuUe ex insulis 
predictis reperte et exinde aliqua mercimonia in hyspaniam 
portata fuerunt, Rex et Regina prefati tamquam Catholici 
et Religionem xpianam . huiusmodi augere desiderantes ut 
Idem Cristoforus tam sanctam prouintiam Inceptam liben- 
tius prosequeretur pacta conditiones et Capitulationes per 
eos cum eodem xpofero factas confirmarent et approbarent 

1 From M. A. Lazzaroni's Cristoforo C'olornbo, Vol II, p 385 et aeq. 



266 



eique suas patentes priuilegiorum litteras desuper concesse- 
nint. Cumque postquam eadem helisabeth Regina uti 
placuit altissimo ab hac luce migrauerat Idem Ferdinandus 
Rex volens suam et euisdem Regine conscentias exonerare 
ac pacta et conuentiones cum eodem xpofero habita et 
privilegia ei concessa adimplen facere tibi qui vni ex 
executoribus per eandem Reginam in suo testamento relictis 
existis huiusmodi causam siue negotium duxit committendum 
quamquidem conmissionem postquam Idem xpoforus ab 
hac luce decessit Clare memorie Philippus tunc hispani- 
arum Rex in humanis agens ad instantiam dilecti filij 
nobilis viri didaci etiam Colon Archimarini Insularuni 
terrarum et marium predictorum eiusdem xpofori primo- 
geniti et successoris duxit innouandum nos igitur fidei 
propagationem vti ex debito nostri pastoralis officii ten- 
emur plurimum affectantes fraternitatem tuam que vti relig- 
iosa et hispaniarum primas augmentoreligionisxpiane Insis- 
tere ad idque animum ac vires tuas ponere non cessas exhor- 
tamur in domino qtiatenus prouintiam istam sanctissimam 
non minus quam fructuosam pro illas insulas Indie maio- 
ribus nostris Ignotas diuenit ad nos pedes nostros oscula- 
turus quern quia in illis insulis diu versatus est benigne 
vidimus atque audiuimus. Commendatione quoque nostra 
voluimus prosequi multum enim in dictarum Insularuni 
Inuentione reipublice xpiane profuisse videntur. Quare 
Maiestatem tuam que Catholice fidei semper quesiuit atque 
optauit hortamur ut ipsum Bartholomeum et eius fratris 
tilium dictarum Insularum admiratum licet eam sponte sua 
id facturum putemus commendatissimos habeat. 

Datum Rome die x Aprilis 1507, anno quarto. 

III. 

Vetierabili fratri fraiiciscoA rchiepiscopo Toletano. ' 
Venerabilis frater Salutem et apostolicam benedictio- 
nem ex relatione dilecti filij nobilis viri Bartholomei Colon 

1 Archiv. Vat. Juliill, Brev., IV., torn IV., XXXIX, 25 fol, 296, v 
297, r. 



267 

Insularum et continentium terrarum et marium orientalum 
prefect! Adelantado nuncupati percepimus quod olim quon- 
dam Cristoforus Colon Archimarinus Insularum Terrarum et 
Marium predictorum eius frater Carnalis tunc in humanis 
agens de Commissione et mandato Carissimi in xpo filii 
nostri ferdinandi Regis et tunc in humanis agentis helisa- 
beth Regine hyspaniarum Catholicorum et cum eorum 
Classe precedentibus nonnullis pactis, et capitulationibus, 
per maiestates suas cum eodem Cristoforo adhibitis et factis 
Insulas predictas non sine magnis periculis discrimine 
laboribus et expensis aggressus extitit quam nauigationem 
ut ex annalibus sine hystoriis etiam antiquissimis elici 
potest nullus vnquam hominum eatenus sequaris dictumque 
didacum et alii ad similia aggrediendi uti nostris tempor- 
ibus prouidentia diuina gubernante videre speramus liben- 
cius Innitemur et Innitentur adiuues faueas ac protegas 
et non solum pacta condiciones et privilegia predicta obser- 
uari sed amplioribus eum muneribus et honoribus decorari 
facias prout te facere posse non dubitamus. In qua rem 
nobis et Cunctis principibus xpianis gratissimam ac ecclesie 
Vniuersali et Catholice fidei vtilissimam efficies. Datum 
Rome Apud Sanctumpetrum Sub Annulo piscatoris die 
decimanona mensis Aprilis millesimo quingentesimo Sep- 
timo Anno quarto, ^ 



2 Archiv. Vat. Julii II, Brev. torn, IV., XXXIX, 25 fol, 312 r, 313. v. 



268 



THIRD VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS.* 

LETTER OF THE ADMIRAL TO FERDINAND AND ISABELLA. ^ 

Most serene and most exalted and powerful Princes, the 
King and Queen, our Sovereigns: The Blessed Trinity 
moved your Highnesses to the encouragement of this enter- 
prise to the Indies, and of its infinite goodness has made me 
your messenger therein; as ambassador for which under- 
taking I approached your royal presence, moved by the con- 
sideration that I was appealing to the most exalted monarchs 
in Christendom, who exercised so great an influence over the 
Christian faith and its advancement in the world; those who 
heard of it looked upon it as impossible, for they fixed all 
their hopes on the favors of fortune, and pinned their faith 
solely upon chance. I gave to the subject six or seven years 
of great anxiety, ^ explaining, to the best of my ability, how 
great service might be done to our Lord by this undertaking 
in promulgating His sacred name and our holy faith among 
so many nations — an enterprise so exalted in itself, and so 
calculated to enhance the glory and immortalize the renown 
of the greatest sovereigns. It was also requisite lo refer to 
the temporal prosperity which was foretold in the writings 
of so many trustworthy and wise historians, who related that 
great riches were to be found in these parts. And at the 
same time I thought it desirable to bring to bear upon the 
subject the sayings and opinions of those who have written 
upon the geography of the world. And, finally your High- 
nesses came to the determination that the undertaking should 
be entered upon. In this your Highnesses exhibited the noble 
spirit which has been always manifested by you on every 

* NOTE — This letter should have been inserted on page 215, but, hav- 
ing been overlooked, it is inserted here, so as to make the Admiral's Nar- 
rative complete. 

1 This translation is by H. K. Major. The original text is in Na- 
varrctte's Coleccion de lux Vinges. Mtidrid, 1825. 

2 Columbus first applied lo Spain in 1485. 



260 

subject; for all others who had thought of the matter, or 
heard it spoken of, unanimously treated it with contempt, 
with the exception of two friars, ^ who always remained con- 
stant in their belief of its practicability. I, myself, in spite 
of fatiguing opposition, felt sure that the enterprise would, 
nevertheless, prosper, and continue equally confident of it 
to this day, because it is a truth that, though everything 
will pass away, the word of God will not; and I believe 
that every prospect which I hold out will be accomplished; 
for it was clearly predicted concerning these lands, by the 
mouth of the prophet Isaias, in many places in Scripture, 
that from Spain the holy name of God was to be spread 
abroad. Thus I departed in the name of the Holy Trinity, 
and returned very soon, bringing with me an account of 
the practical fulfilment of everything I had said. Your 
Highnesses again sent me out, and in a short space of 
time, by God's mercy, not by* I discovered three him- 

dred and thirty-three leagues of terra firma on the eastern 
side,^ and seven hundred islands, besides those which I 
discovered on the first voyage; I also succeeded in circum- 
navigating the island of Espariola, which is larger in cir- 
cumference than all Spain, the inhabitants of which are 
countless, and all of whom may be laid under tribute. It 
was then that complaints arose, disparaging the enterprise 
that I had undertaken, because, forsooth, I had not imme- 
diately sent the ships home laden with gold — no allowance 
being made for the shortness of the time, and all the 
other impediments of which I have already spoken. On 
this account (either as a punishment of my sins, or, as I 
trust, for my salvation) I was held in detestation, and had 
obstacles placed in the way of everything I said, or for 
which I petitioned. I therefore resolved to apply to your 
Highnesses, to inform you of all the wonderful events that 

3 Fray Juan Perez de Marchena, a Franciscan, Guardian of the 
Convent of de la Rabida, and Fray Diego de Deza, a Dominican. 

4 A blank occurs in the MS. 

5 Columbus here confused the island of Cuba with the main coast, 
which he did not see till the present voyage. 



27,(» 

I had experienced, and to explain the reason of every 
proposition that I made, making reference to the nations 
that I had seen, among whom, and by whose instrumen- 
tality, many souls may be saved. I related how the natives 
of Espanola had been laid under tribute to your High- 
nesses, and regarded you as their sovereigns. And I laid 
before your Highnesses abundant samples of gold and cop- 
per — proving the existence of extensive mines of those 
metals. I also laid before your Highnesses many sorts of spices, 
too numerous to detail; and I spoke of the great quantity 
of brazil-wood, and numberless other articles found in those 
lands. All this was of no avail with some persons, who 
began, with determined hatred, to speak ill of the enter- 
prise, not taking into account the service done to our Lord 
in the salvation of so many souls, nor the enhancement of 
your Highnesses greatness to a higher pitch than any 
earthly prince has yet enjoyed; nor considering that, from 
the exercise of your Highnesses' goodness, and the expense 
incurred, both spiritual and temporal advantage was to be 
expected, and that Spain must in the process of time 
derive from thence, beyond all doubt, an unspeakable 
increase of wealth. This might be manifestly seen by the 
evidences already given in writing in the descriptions of 
the voyages already made, which also prove that the ful- 
filment of every other hope may be reasonably expected. 
Nor were they affected by the consideration of what great 
princes throughout the world have done to increase their 
fame: as, for example, Solomon, who sent from Jerusalem 
to the uttermost parts of the east, to see Mount Sopora, 
in which expedition his ships were detained three years; 
and which mountain your Highnesses now possess in the 
island of Espanola. Nor, as in the case of Alexander, who 
sent to observe the mode of government in the island of 
Taprobana, in India; and Ca;sar Nero, to explore the sources 
of the Nile, and to learn the causes of its increase in the 
spring, when water is needed; and many other mighty 
deeds that princes have done, and which it is alloted to 
princes to acchieve. Nor was it of any avail that no prince 



271 

of Spain, as far as I have read, has ever hitherto gained 
possession of land out of Spain; and that the world of 
which I speak is different from that in which the Romans 
and Alexander, and the Greeks made mighty efforts with 
great armies to gain possession of. Nor have they been 
affected by the recent noble example of the kings of Portu- 
gal, who have had the courage to explore as far as Guinea, 
and to make the discovery of it, expending so much gold 
and so many lives in the undertaking that a calculation of 
the population of the kingdon would show that one-half 
of them have died in Guinea: and though it is now a long 
time since they commenced these great exertions, the 
return for their labor and expense has hitherto been but 
trifling; this people has also dared to make conquests in 
Africa, and to carry on their exploits to Ceuta, Tangier, 
and Alcazar, repeatedly giving battle to the Moors, and all 
this at great expense, simply because it was an exploit 
worthy of a prince, undertaken for the service of God and 
to advance the enlargement of His kingdon. The more I 
said on the subject the more two-fold was reproach cast 
upon it, even to the expression of abhorrence, no consideration 
being given to the honor and fame that accrued to your High- 
nesses' throughout all Christendom, from your Highnesses 
having undertaken this enterprise; so that there was neither 
great nor small who did not desire to hear tidings of it. Your 
Highnesses replied to me encouragingly, and desired that I 
should pay no regard to those who spoke ill of the undertaking, 
inasmuch as they had received no authority or countenance 
whatever from your Highnesses. 

I started from San Lucar, in the name of the most 
Holy Trinity, on Wednesday, the 30th of May, much fatig- 
ued with my voyage, for I had hoped, when I left the 
Indies, to find repose in Spain; whereas, on the contrary, I 
experienced nothing but opposition and vexation. I sailed 
to the island of Madeira by a circuitous route, in order to 
avoid any encounter with an armed fleet from France, 
which was on the lookout for me off Cape Saint Vincent. 
Thence I went to the Canaries, from which islands I sailed 



272 



with but one ship and two caravels, having dispatched the 
other ships to Espaiiola by the' direct road to the Indies; 
while I myself moved southward, with the view of reaching 
the equinoctial line, and of then proceeding westward, so 
as to leave the island of Espaiiola to the north. But hav- 
ing reached the Cape Verd Islands (an incorrect name, 
for they are so barren that nothing green was to be seen 
there, and the people so sickly that I did not venture to 
remain among them,) I sailed away four hundred and 
eighty miles, which is equivalent to a hundred and twenty 
leagues, toward the southwest, where, when it grew dark, 
I found the north star to be in the fifth degree. The 
wind then failed me, and I entered a climate where the 
intensity of the heat was such that I thought both ships 
and men would have been burned up, and everything sud- 
denly got into such a state of confusion that no man dared 
go below deck to attend to the securing of the water-cask 
and the provisions. This heat lasted eight days; on the 
first day the weather was fine, but on the seven other 
days it rained and was cloudy yet we found no alleviation 
of our distress; so that I certainly believe that if the sun 
had shone as on the first day, we should not have been able 
to escape in any way. 

I recollect that, in sailing toward the Indies, as soon 
as I passed a hundred leagues to the westward of the 
Azores, I found the temperature change: and this is so all 
along from north to south. I determined, therefore, if it 
should please the Lord to give me a favorable wind and 
good weather, so that I might leave the part where I then 
was, that I would give up pursuing the southward course, 
yet not turn backward, but sail toward the west, moving 
in that direction in the hope of finding the same tempera- 
ture that 1 had experienced when I sailed in the parallel 
of the Canaries, and then, if it proved so, I should still be 
able to proceed more to the south. At the end of these 
eight days it pleased our Lord to give me a favorable east 
wind, and I steered to the west but did not venture to 
move lower down toward the south, because I discovered 



278 

a very great change in the sky and the stars, although I 
found no alteration in the temperature. I resolved, there- 
fore, to keep on the direct westward course, in a line from 
Sierra Leone, and not to change on another tack, which I 
was very desirous to do, for the purpose of repairing the 
vessels, and of renewing, if possible, our stock of provi- 
sions, and taking in what water we wanted. At the end 
of seventeen days, during which our Lord gave me a pro- 
pitious wind, we saw land at noon, of Tuesday, the 31st 
of J Illy. This I had expected on the Monday before, and 
held that route up to this point; but as the sun's strength 
increased, and our supply of water was failing, I resolved 
to make for the Caribee Islands, and set sail in that direc- 
tion; when, by the mercy of God, which He has always 
extended to me, one of the sailors^ went up to the maintop, 
and saw to the westward a range of three mountains. 
Upon this we repeated the "Salve Regina," and other 
prayers, and all of us gave many thanks to our Lord. I then 
gave up our northward course, and put in for the land: at 
the hour of complines we reached a cape, which I called Cape 
Galea,'' having already given to the island the name of 
Trinidad, and here we found a harbor, which would have 
been excellent, but there was no good anchoroge. We saw 
houses and people on the spot, and the country was very 
beautiful, and as fresh and green as the gardens of Valencia 
in the month of March, I was disappointed at not being 
able to put into the harbor, and ran along the coast to the 
westward. After sailing five leagues I found very good bot- 
tom, and anchored. The next day I set sail in the same 
direction, in search of a harbor where I might repair the 
vessels and take in water, as well as improve the stock of 
provisions which I had brought out with me. When we had 
taken in a pipe of water, we proceeded onward till we reached 
the cape, and there, finding good anchorage and protection 

6 Navarrete states that this was a servant of Columbus named 
Alonzo Perez. 

7 Cape Galeota, the southeastern point of Trinidad. It was now that 
Columbus first saw the main coast of America. 



274 

from the east wind, I ordered the anchors to be dropped, the 
water-cask to be repaired, a supply of water and wood to be 
taken in, and the people to rest themselves from the fatigues 
which they had endured for so long a time. I gave to this 
point the name of Sandy Point [Puntu del Aixnal.) All the 
ground in the neighborhood was filled with foot-marks of 
animals, like the impression of the foot of a goat; but although 
it would have appeared from this circumstance that they 
were very numerous, only one was seen, and that was dead. 
On the following day a large canoe came from the eastward, 
containing twenty-four men, all in the prime of life, and well 
provided with arms, such as bows, arrows, and wooden 
shields; they were all, as I have said, young well proportion- 
ed, and not dark black, but whiter than any other Indians 
that I had seen, of very graceful gesture, and handsome 
forms, wearing their hair long and straight, and cut in the 
Spanish style. Their heads were bound round with cotton 
scarfs elaborately worked in colors, which resembled the 
Moorish head-dresses. Some of these scarfs were worn 
round the body and used as a covering in lieu of trousers. 
The natives spoke to us from the canoe while it was yet at a 
considerable distance, but none of us could understand them; 
I made signs to them, however, to come nearer to us, and 
more than two hours were spent in this manner; but if by 
any chance they moved a little nearer, they soon pushed off 
again. I caused basins and other shining objects to be shown 
to them to tempt them to come near; and after a long 
time they came somewhat nearer than they had hitherto 
done, upon which, as I was anxious to speak with them, 
and had nothing else to show them to induce them to ap- 
proach, I ordered a drum to be played upon the quarter- 
deck, and some of our young men to dance, believing the 
Indians would come to see the amusement. No sooner, 
however, did they perceive the beating of the drum and 
the dancing, than they all left their oars, and strung their 
bows, and each man laying hold of his shield, they com- 
menced discharging their arrows at us; upon this, the music 
and dancing soon ceased, and I ordered a charge to be 



275 



made from some our crossbows; they then left us, and went 
rapidly to the other caravel, and placed themselves under 
its poop. The pilot of that vessel received them courteous- 
ly, and gave to the man who appeared to be their chief a 
coat and hat; and it was then arranged between them that 
he should go to speak with him on shore. Upon this the 
Indians immediately went thither and waited for him; but 
as he would not go without my permission, he came to 
my ship in the boat, whereupon the Indians got into their 
canoe again and went away, and I never saw any more 
of them or of any of the other inhabitants of the island. 
When I reached the point of Arenal, I found that the 
island of Trinidad formed with the land of Gracia a strait 
of two leagues' width from east to west,^ and as we had 
to pass through it to go to the north, we found some 
strong currents which crossed the strait, and which made 
a great roaring, so that I concluded there must be a reef 
of sand or rocks, which would preclude our entrance; and 
behind this current was another and another, all making a 
roaring noise like the sound of breakers against the rocks. 
I anchored there, under the said point of Arenal, outside 
of the strait, and found the water rush from east to west 
with as much impetuosity as that of the Guadalquivir at 
its conflux with the sea; and this continued constantly day 
and night, so that it appeared to be impossible to move 
backward for the current or forward for the shoals. In the 
dead of night, while I was on deck, I heard an awful roar- 
ing that came from the south, toward the ship; I stopped to 
observe what it might be, and I saw the sea rolling from 
west to east like a mountain, as high as the ship, and approach- 
ing by little and little; on the top of this rolling sea came a 
mighty wave roaring with a frightful noise, and with all this 
terrific uproar were other conflicting currents, producing, as 
I have already said, a sound as of breakers upon the rocks. 
To this day I have a vivid recollection of the dread I then 
felt, lest the ship might founder under the force of that tre- 

8 This was the Gulf of Paria, and the currents were occasioned by the 
river Orinoco, which empties into it. 



27 G 

mendous sea; but it passed by, and reached the mouth of the 
beforementioned passage, where the uproar lasted for a con- 
siderable time. On the following day I sent out boats to 
take soundings, and found that in the strait, at the deepest 
part of the embouchure, there were six or seven fathoms of 
water, and that there were constant contrary currents, one 
running inward, and the other outward. It pleased the Lord, 
however, to give us a favorable wind, and I passed through 
the middle of the strait, after which I recovered my tranquil- 
ity. The men happened at this time to draw up some water 
from the sea, which, strange to say, proved to be fresh. I 
then sailed northward till 1 came to a very high mountain, 
at about twenty-six leagues from the Pimta del Arenal; here 
two lofty headlands appeared, one toward the east, and form- 
ing part of the island of Trinidad, and the other, on the west, 
being part of the land which I have already called Gracia; 
we found here a channel still narrower than that of Arenal. 
with similar currents, and a tremendous roaring of water; 
the water here also was fresh. Hitherto I had held no com- 
munication with any of the people of this country, although 
I very earnestly desired it; I therefore sailed along the coast 
westward, and the further I advanced, the fresher and more 
wholesome I found the water; and when I had proceeded a 
considerable distance, I reached a spot where the land ap- 
peared to be cultivated. There I anchored, and sent the 
boats ashore, and the men who went in them found the na- 
tives had already left the place; they also observed that the 
mountain was covered with monkeys. They came back, and 
as the coast at that part presented nothing but a chain of 
mountains, I concluded that further west we should find the 
land flatter, and consequently in all probability inhabited. 
Auctuated by this thought I weighed anchor, and ran along 
the coast until we came to the end of the Cordillera; I then 
anchored at the mouth of a river, and we were soon visited 
by a great number of the inhabitants, who informed us that 
the country was called Paria, and that further westward it 
was more fully peopled. I took four of these natives, and 
proceeded on my westward voyage, and when I had gone 



277 

eight leagues further, I found on the other side of a point 
which I called the Needle, one of the most lovely countries 
in the world, and very thickly peopled; it was three o'clock 
in the morning when I reached it, and seeing its verdure and 
beauty, I resolved to anchor there and communicate with 
the inhabitants. Some of the natives soon came out to the 
ship, in canoes, to beg me, in the name of their King, to go 
on shore; and when they saw that I paid no attention to 
them, they came to the ship in their canoes in countless num- 
bers, many of them wearing pieces of gold on their breasts 
and some with bracelets of pearls on their arms; on seeing 
which I was much delighted, and made many inquiries, with 
the view of learning where they found them. They inform- 
ed me that they were to be procured in their own neighbor- 
hood, and also at a spot to the northward of that place. I 
would have remained here, but the provisionn of corn, and 
wine, and meats, which I had brought out with so much care 
for the people whom I had left behind, were nearly wasted 
so that all my anxiety was to get them into a place of safety, 
and not to stop for anything. I wished, however, to get 
some of the pearls that I had seen, and with that view sent 
the boats on shore. The natives are very numerous, and for 
the most part handsome in person, and of the same color as 
the Indians we had already seen; they are, moreover, very 
tractable, and received our men who went on shore most 
courteously, seeming very well disposed toward us. These 
men relate, that when the boats reached shore, two of the 
chiefs, whom they took to be father and son, came forward 
in advance of the mass of the people, and conducted them to 
a very large house with facades, and not round and tent- 
shaped as the other houses were; in this house were many 
seats, on which they made our men sit down, they them- 
selves sitting on other seats. They then caused bread to be 
brought, with many kinds of fruits, and various sorts of 
wine, both white and red, not made of grapes, but appar- 
ently produced from different fruits. The most reasonable 
inference is, that they use maize, which is a plant that 
bears a spine like an ear of wheat, some of which I took 



278 

with me from Spain, where it grows abundantly; this they 
seem to regard as most excellent, and set a great value 
upon it. The men remained together at one end of the 
house, and the women at the other. Great vexation was 
felt by both parties that they could not understand each 
other, for they were mutually anxious to make inquiries 
respecting each other's country. After our men had been 
entertained at the house of the elder Indian, the younger 
took them to his house, and gave them an equally cordial 
reception, after which they returned to their boats and 
came on board. I weighed anchor forthwith, for I was 
hastened by my anxiety to save the provisions, which were 
becoming spoiled, and which I had procured and preserved 
with so much care and trouble, as well as to attend to my 
own health, which had been affected by long watching; 
and although on my former voyage, when I discovered 
terra firma, I passed thirty-three days without natural rest 
and was all that time deprived of sight, yet never were 
my eyes so much affected or so painful as at this period. 
These people, as I have already said, are very graceful in 
form — tall, and elegant in their movements, weanng their 
hair very long and smooth; they also bind their heads with 
handsome worked handkerchiefs, which, from a distance, 
look like silk or gauze; others use the same material in a 
longer form, wound round them so as to cover them like 
trousers, and this is done by both the men and the women. 
These people are of a whiter skin than any that I have seen 
in the Indies. It is the fashion among all classes to wear 
something at the breast, and on the arms, and many wear 
pieces of gold hanging low on the bosem. Their canoes are 
larger, lighter, and of better build than those of the islands 
which I have hitherto seen, and in the middle of each they 
have a cabin or room, which I found was occupied by the 
chiefs and their wives. I called this place "Jardines," that 
is, "the Gardens," for the place and the people correspond 
with that appellation. I made many inquiries as to where 
they found the gold, in reply to which, all of them directed 
me to an elevated tract of land at no great distance, on 



279 

the confines of their own country, lying to the westward; 
but they all advised me not to go there, for fear of being 
eaten, and at the time I imagined that by their description 
they wished to imply that they were cannibals who dwelt 
there, but I have since thought it possible that they meant 
merely to express that the country was filled withe beasts 
of prey. [ also inquired of them where they obtained the 
pearls ? and in reply to this question likewise, they directed 
me to the westward, and also to the north, behind the 
country they occupied. I did not put this information to 
the test, on account of the provisions, and the weakness 
of my eyes, and because the large ship that I had with 
me was not calculated for such an undertaking. The short 
time that I spent with them was all passed in putting ques- 
tions; and at evening, as I have already said, we returned 
to the ships, upon which I weighed anchor and sailed to 
the westward. I proceeded onward on the following day, 
until I found that we were only in three fathoms water; 
at this time I was still under the idea that it was but an 
island, and that I should be able to mak*^ my exit by the 
north. Upon which I sent a light caravel in advance of 
us, to see whether the passage was closed; the caravel pro- 
ceeded a great distance, until it reached a very large gulf 
in which there appeared to be four smaller gulfs, from 
one of which debouched a large river; they invariably found 
ground at five fathoms, and a great quantity of very fresh 
water; indeed, I never tasted any equal to it. I felt great 
anxiety when I found that I could make no exit, either by 
the north, south, or west, but that I was enclosed on all three 
sides by land; I therefore weighed anchor, and sailed in a 
backward direction, with the hope of finding a passage to the 
north by the strait, which I have already described; but I 
could not return along the inhabited part where I had already 
been, on account of the currents, which drove me entirely 
out of my course. But constantly, at every headland, I found 
the water sweet and clear, and we were carried eastward very 
powerfully toward the two straits already mentioned; I then 
conjectured that the currents and the overwhelming moun- 



1 



280 

tains of water which rushed into these straits with such an 
awful roaring, arose from the contest between the fresh 
water and the sea. The fresh water struggled with the salt 
to oppose its entrance, and the salt contended against the 
fresh in its efforts to gain a passage outward. And I formed 
the conjecture, that at one time there was a continuous neck 
of land from the island of Trinidad and with the land of 
Gracia, where the two straits now are, as your Highnesses 
will see, by the drawing which accompanies this letter. I 
passed out by this northern strait, and found the fresh water 
came even there; and when, by the aid of the wind, I was 
enabled to proceed, I remarked, while on the watery billows 
which I have described, that in the channel the water on the 
inner side of the current was fresh, and on the outside salt. 

When I sailed from Spain to the Indies I found that, as 
soon as I had passed a hundred leagues westward of the 
Azores, there was a very great change in the sky and the 
stars, in the temperature of the air, and in the water of 
the sea; and I have been very diligent in observing these 
things. I remarked that from north to south in traversing 
these hundred leagues from the said islands, the needle of 
the compass, which hitherto had turned toward the north- 
east, turned a full quarter of the wind to the northwest, 
and this took place from the time when we reached that 
line. At the same time an appearance was presented as 
if the seashore had been transplanted thither, for we found 
the sea covered all over with a sort of weed resembling 
pine branches, and with fruits like that of the mastic tree^ 
so thick that on my first voyage I thought it was a reef, 
and that the ships could not avoid running aground; but 
until I reached this line I did not meet with a single bough. 
I also observed that at this point the sea was very smooth, 
and that, though the wind was rough, the ships never 
rolled. I likewise found that within the same line toward 
the west the temperature was always mild, and that it did 
not vary, summer or winter. While I was there I observ- 
ed that the north star described a circle five degrees in 
diameter; that when its satellites are on the right side, 



281 

then the star was at its lowest point, and from this point 
it continues until it reaches the left side, where it is also 
at five degrees, and then again it sinks until it at length 
returns to the right side. In this voyage I proceeded im- 
mediately from Spain to the island of Madeira, thence to 
the Canaries, and then to the Cape Verd Isles, and from 
the Cape Verd Isles I sailed southward, even below the 
equinoctial line, as I have already described. When I 
reached the parallel of Sierra Leone, in Guinea, I found 
the heat so intense and the rays of the sun so fierce that 
I thought that we should have been burnt; and, although 
it rained, and the sky was heavy with clouds, I still suf- 
fered the same oppression until our Lord was pleased to 
grant me a favorable wind, giving me an opportunity of 
sailing to the west, so that I reached a latitude where I 
experienced, as I have already said, a change in the tem- 
perature. Immediataly upon my reaching this line the 
temperature of the sky became very mild, and the more I 
advanced the more this mildness increased; but I did not 
find the positions of the stars correspond with these effects. 
I remarked at this place that when night came on the 
polar star was five degrees high, and then the satellites 
were overhead; afterward, at midnight, I found the north 
star elevated ten degrees, and when morning was advanc- 
ing, the satellites were fifteen feet below. I found the 
smoothness of the sea continue, but not so the weeds; as 
to the polar star, I watched it with great wonder, and devot- 
ed many nights to a careful examination of it wiih the 
quadrant, and I always found that the lead and line fell to 
the same point. I look upon this as something new, and I 
think my opinion will be supported by that of others, and it 
is a short distance for so great a change to take place in the 
temperature. I have always read that the world, compris- 
ing the land and the water, was spherical, as is testified by 
the investigations of Ptolemy and others, who have proved it 
by the eclipses of the moon, and other observations made 
from east to west, as well as by the elevation of the pole 
from north to south. But I have now seen so much irreg- 



282 



ularity, as I have already described, that I have come to 
another conclusion respecting the earth, namely, that it is 
not round, as they describe, but of the form of a pear, 
which is very round except where the stalk grows, at which 
part it is most prominent; or like a round ball, upon one 
part of which is a prominence like a woman's nipple, this 
protrusion being the highest and nearest the sky, situated 
under the equinoctial line, and at the eastern extremity of 
this sea — I call that the eastern extremity, where the land 
and the islands end. In confirmation of my opinion I re- 
vert to the arguments which I have above detailed respect- 
ing the line, which passes from north to south a hundred 
leagues westward of the Azores; for in sailing thence west- 
ward the ships went on rising smoothly toward the sky, 
and then the weather was felt to be milder, on account of 
which mildness the needle shifted one point of the compass; 
the further we went the more the needle moved to the 
northwest, this elevation producing the variation of the 
circle which the north star describes with its satellites; and 
the nearer I approached the equinoctial line the more they 
rose, and the greater was the difference between these stars 
and their circles. Ptolemy and the other philosophers who 
have written upon the globe thought that it was spherical, 
believing that this hemisphere was round as well as that 
in which they themselves dwelt, the centre of which was 
in the island of Arin, which is under the equinoctial line 
between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Persia; and the 
circle passes over Cape St. Vincent, in Portugal, westward 
and eastward, by Cangara and the Seras,^ in which hemis- 
phere I make no difficulty as to its being a perfect sphere, 
as they describe; but this western half of the world, I 
maintain, is like the half of a very round pear, having a 
raised projection for the stalk, as I have already described, 
or like a woman's nipple on a round ball. Ptolemy and 

9 Names for Japan and China, according to Major, but he evidently 
erred, for if this was so, Columbus must have reached the conclusion that 
he was not in the Indies, while he died firmly convinced that the lands 
were part of the East Indies. 



283 



the others who have written upon the globe had no infor- 
mation respecting this part of the world, which was then 
unexplored; they only established their arguments with 
respect to their own hemisphere, which, as I have already 
said, is half of a perfect sphere. And now that your 
Highnesses have commissioned me to make this voyage of 
discovery, the truths which I have stated are evidently 
proved, because in this voyage, when I was off the island 
of Hargin,io and its vicinity, which is twenty degrees to 
the north of the equinoctial Hne, I found the people are 
black, and the land very much burnt; and when after that 
I went to the Cape Verd Islands, I found the people much 
darker still, and the more southward we went the more 
they approach the extreme of blackness; so that when I 
reached the parallel of Sierra Leone, where, as night came 
on, the. north star rose five degrees, the people there were 
excessively black; and, as I sailed westward, the heat be- 
came extreme. But after I had passed the meridian line 
which I have already described, I found the climate became 
gradually more temperate, so that when I reached the 
island of Trinidad, where the north star rose five degrees 
as night came on, there and in the land of Gracia I found 
the temperature exceedingly mild; the fields and the foli- 
age likewise were remarkably fresh and green, and as 
beautiful as the gardens of Valencia in April. The people 
there are very graceful in form, less dark than those whom 
I had before seen in the Indies, and wear their hair long 
and smooth; they are also more shrewd, intelligent and 
courageous. The sun was then in the sign of Virgo, over 
our heads and theirs; therefore all this must proceed from 
the extreme blandness of the temperature, which arises, as 
I have said, from this country being the most elevated in 
the world, and the nearest to the sky. On these grounds, 
therefore, I affirm that the globe is not spherical, but that 
there is the difference in its forms which I have described; 
the which is to be found in this hemisphere at the point 

10 Probably Arguin, on the African coasL 



284 

where the Indies meet the ocean, the extremity of the 
hemisphere being below the equinoctial line. And a great 
confirmation of this is, that when our Lord made the sun, 
the first light appeared in the first point of the east, where 
the most elevated point of the globe is; and, although it 
was the opinion of Aristotle that the antarctic pole, or the 
land which is below it, was the highest part of the world, 
and the nearest to the heavens, other philosophers oppose 
him, and say that the highest part was below the arctic 
pole, by which reasoning it appears that they understood 
that one part of the world ought to be loftier and nearer 
the sky than the other; but it never struck them that it 
might be under the equinoctial in the way that I have 
said, which is not to be wondered at, because they had no 
certain knowledge respecting this hemisphere, but merely 
vague suppositions, for no one has ever gone or been sent 
to investigate the matter until your Highnesses sent me to 
explore both the sea and the land. I foimd that between 
the two straits which, as I have said before, face each 
other in a line from north to south, is a distance of twenty- 
six leagues; and there can be no mistake in this calcula- 
tion, because it was made with the quadrant. I also find 
that from these two straits on the west, up to the above 
mentioned gulf, to which I gave the name of the Gulf of 
Pearls, there are sixty-eight leagues of four miles to the 
league, which, is the reckoning we are accustomed to make 
at sea; from this gulf the water runs constantly, with great 
impetuosity, toward the east, and this is the cause why in 
these two straits there is so fierce a turmoil from the fresh 
water encountering the water of the sea. In the southern 
strait, which I named the Serpent's Mouth, I found that 
toward evening the polar atar was nearly at five degrees 
elevation; and in the northern, which I called the Dragon's 
Mouth, it was at an elevation of nearly seven degrees. 
The before mentioned Gulf of Pearls is to the west of 
the^* of Ptolemy, nearly three thousand nine hun- 

11 Words lacking in original MS. 



285 

dred miles, which make nearly seventy equinoctial degrees, 
reckoning fifty-six and two-thirds to a degree. The Holy 
Scriptures record that our Lord made the earthly paradise 
and planted in it the tree of life, and thence springs a 
fountain from which the four principal rivers in the world 
take their source, namely: the Ganges, in India, the Tigris 
and Eughrates in^" which rivers divide a chain of 

mountains, and forming Mesopotamia, flow thence into 
Persia — and the Nile, which rises in Ethiopia and into the 
sea at Alexandria. 

I do not find, nor have I ever found, an account by the 
Romans or Greeks which fixes in a positive manner the 
site of the terrestrial paradise, neither have I seen it given 
in any mappe-monde laid down from authentic sources. 
Some place it in Ethiopia, at the sources of the Nile, but 
others, traversing all these countries, found neither the 
temperature nor the altitude of the sun correspond with 
their ideas respecting it; nor did it appear that the over- 
whelming waters of the deluge had been there. Some 
pagans pretended to adduce arguments to establish 
that it was in the Fortunate Islands, now called the Ca- 
naries, etc. 

St. Isidore, Bede, Strabo, and the master of scholastic 
history, 1^ with St. Ambrose, and Scotus, and all the learned 
theologins agree that the earthly paradise is in the east, etc. 

I have already described my ideas concerning this 
hemisphere and its form, and I have no doubt that if I 
could pass below the equinoctial line, after reaching the 
highest point of which I have spoken, I should find a much 
milder temperature, and a variation in the stars and in the 
waters; not that I suppose that elevated point to be navi- 
gable, nor even that there is water there; indeed, I believe 
it is impossible to ascend thither, because I am convinced 
that it is the spot of the earthly paradise, whither no one 
can go but by God's permission; but this land which your 

12 Words lacking in original MS. 

13 Petrus Comestor, author of the Historia Sckolaatiea. 



286 

Highnesses have now sent me to explore is very extensive 
and I think there are many other countries in the south 
of which the world has never had any knowledge. 

I do not suppose that the earthly paradise is in the 
form of a rugged mountain, as the descriptions of it have 
made it appear, but that it is on the summit of the spot 
which I have described as being in the form of the stalk 
of a pear; the approach of it from a distance must be by a 
constant and gradual ascent; but I believe that, as I have 
already said, no one could ever reach the top; I think also 
that the water I have described may proceed from it, 
though it be far off, and that, stopping at the place which 
I have just left, it forms this lake. There are great indi- 
cations of this being the terrestrial paradise, for its site 
coincides with the opinion of the holy and wise theologians 
whom I have mentioned; and moreover, the other evidences 
agree with the supposition, for I have never either read 
or heard of fresh water coming in so large a quantity in 
close conjunction with the water of the sea; the idea is also 
corroborated by the blandness of the temperature; and if the 
vv^ater of which I speak does not proceed from the earthly 
paradise, it appears to be still more marvellous, for I no not 
believe that there is any river in the world so large or 
so deep. 

When I left the Dragon's Mouth, which is the northern- 
most of the two straits which I have described, and which I 
so named on the day of our Lady of August, I found that 
the sea ran so strongly to the westward that between the 
hour of mass, when 1 weighed anchor, and the hour of com- 
plines I made sixty-five leagues of four miles each; and not 
only was the wind not violent, but on the contrary very gen- 
tle, which confirmed me in the conclusion that in sailing 
southward there is a continuous ascent, while there is a cor- 
responding descent toward the north. 

I hold it for certain that the waters of the sea move 
from east to west with the sky, and that in passing this 
track they hold a more rapid course, and have thus carried 
away large tracts of land, and that from hence has resulted 



287 

this great number of islands; indeed, these islands themselves 
afford an additional proof of it, for all of them, without ex- 
ception, run lengthwise from west to east, and from the 
northwest to the southeast, which is in a directly contrary 
direction to the said winds; furthermore, that these islands 
should possess the most costly productions is to be accounted 
for by the mild temperature, which comes to them from 
heaven, since these are the most elevated parts of the 
world. It IS true that in some parts, the waters do not 
appear to take this course, but this occurs in certain spots, 
where they are obstructed by land, and hence they appear 
to take different directions. 

Pliny writes that the sea and land together form a 
sphere, but that the ocean forms the greatest mass, and 
lies uppermost, while the earth is below and supports the 
ocean, and that the two afford a mutual support to each 
other, as the kernel of a nut is confined by its shell. The 
master of scholastic history, in commentmg upon Genesis, 
says that the waters are not very extensive; and that 
although, when they were first created they covered the 
earth, they were vaporous like a cloud, and that afterward 
they became condensed, and occupied but small space, and 
in this notion Nicolas de Lira agrees. Aristotle says that 
the world is small, and the water very limited in extent, 
and that it is easy to pass from Spain to the Indies; and 
this is confirmed bv Avenruyz, and by the Cardinal Pedro 
de Aliaco, who, in supporting this opinion, shows that it 
agrees with that of Seneca, and says that Aristotle had 
been enabled to gain information respecting the world by 
means of Alexander the Great, and Seneca by means of 
Nero, and Pliny through the Romans; all of them having 
expended large sums of money, and employed a vast num- 
ber of people, in diligent inquiry concerning the secrets of 
the world, and in spreading abroad the knowledge thus 
obtained. The said cardinal allows to these writers greater 
authority than to Ptolemy, and other Greeks and Arabs; 
and in confirmation of their opinion concerning the small 
quantity of water on the surface of the globe, and the lim- 



2S8 

ited amount of land covered by that water, in comparison 
with what had been related on the authority of Ptolemy and 
his disciples, he finds a passage in the third book of Esdras 
where that sacred writer says, that of seven parts of the 
world six are discovered, and the other is covered with 
water. The authority of the third and fourth books of 
Esdras is also confirmed by holy persons, such as Saint 
Augustine, and Saint Ambrose in his Exameron, where he 
says, "Here my son Jesus shall first come, and here my 
son Christ shall die !" These holy men say that Esdras 
was a prophet, as well as Zacharias, the father of Saint 
John, and El Braso Simon; authorities which are also 
quoted by Francis de Mairones. With respect to the dry- 
ness of the land, experience has shown that it is greater 
than IS commonly believed; and this is no wonder, for the 
further one goes the more one learns. I now return to 
my subject of the land of Gracia, and of the river and lake 
found there, which latter might more properly be called 
a sea; for a lake is but a small expanse of water, which* 
when it becomes great, deserves the name of a sea, just 
as we speak of the sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea; and 
I think that if the river mentioned does not proceed from 
the terrestrial paradise, it comes from an immense tract 
of land situated in the south, of which no knowledge has 
been hitherto obtained. But the more I reason on the sub- 
ject, the more satisfied I become that the terrestrial para- 
dise is situated in the spot I have described; and I ground 
my opinion upon the arguments and authorities already 
quoted. May it please the Lord to grant your Highnesses 
a long life, and health and peace to follow out so noble an 
investigation: in which I think our Lord will receive great 
service, Spain considerable increase of its greatness, and all 
Christians much consolation and pleasure, because by this 
means the name of our Lord will be published abroad. 

In all the countries visited by your Highnesses' ships, 
I have caused a high cross to be fixed upon every head- 
land, and have proclaimed to every nation that I have 
discovered the lofty estate of your Highnesses, and of your 



289 



court in Spam. I also tell them all I can respecting our 
holy faith and of the belief in the holy mother Church, which 
has its members in all the world; and I speak to them also 
of the courtesy and nobleness of all Christians, and of the 
faith they have in the Holy Trinity. May it please the Lord 
to forgive those who have calumniated and still calumniate 
this excellent enterprise, and oppose, and have opposed its 
advancement, without considering how much glory and great- 
ness will accrue from it to your Highnesses throughout all 
the world. They cannot state anything in disparagement of 
it, except its expense, and that I have not immediately sent 
back the ships loaded with gold. They speak this without 
considering the shortness of the time, and how many difficul- 
ties there are to contend with; and that every year there are 
individuals who singly earn by their deserts out of your 
Majesties' own household more revenue than would cover the 
whole of this expense. Nor do they remember that the 
princes of Spain have never gained possession of any land 
out of their own country, until now that your Highnesses 
have become the masters of another world, where our holy 
faith may become so much increased, and whence such stores 
of wealth may be derived; for although we have not sent 
home ships laden with gold, we have, nevertheless, sent sat- 
isfactory samples, both of gold and of other valuable commo- 
dities, by which it may be judged that in a short time large 
profits may be derived. Neither do they take into consider- 
ation the noble spirit of the princes of Portugal, who so long 
ago carried into execution the exploration of Guinea, and 
still follow it up along the coast of Africa, in which one-half 
of the population of the country has been employed, and yet 
the King is more determined on the enterprise than ever. 
The Lord grant all that I have said, and lead them to 
think deeply upon what I have written; which is not the 
thousandth part of what might be written of the deeds of 
princes who have set their minds upon gaining knowledge, 
and upon obtaining territory and keeping it. 

I say all this, not because I doubt the inclination of 
your Highcsses to pursue the enterprise while you live — 



290 

for I rely confidently on the answers your Highnesses 
once gave me by word of mouth — nor because I have seen 
any change in your Highnesses, but from the fear of what 
I have heard from those of whom I have been speaking; 
for I know that water dropping on a stone will at length 
make a hole. Your Highnesses responded to me with that 
nobleness of feeling which all the world knows you to 
possess, and told me to pay no attention to these calum- 
niations; for that your intention was to follow up and sup- 
port the undertaking, even if nothing were gained by it 
but stones and sand. Your Highnesses also desired me to 
be in no wa»' anxious about the expense, for that much 
greater cost had been incurred on much more trifling 
matters, and that you considered all the past and future 
as well laid out; for that your Highnesses believed that 
our holy faith would be increased, and your royal dignity 
enhanced, and that they were no friends of the royal estate 
who spoke ill of the enterprise. 

And now, during the despatch of the information re- 
specting these lands which I have recently discovered, and 
where I believe in my soul that the earthly paradise is 
situated, the "Adelantado" will proceed with three ships, 
well stocked with provisions, on a further investigation, and 
will make all the discoveries he can about these parts. 
Meanwhile, I shall send your Highnesses this letter, ac- 
companied by a drawing of the country, and your Majes- 
ties will determine on what is to be done, and give your 
orders as to how it is your pleasure that I should proceed: 
the which, by the aid of the Holy Trinity, shall be carried 
into execution with all possible diligence, in the faithtul 
service and to the entire satisfaction of your Majesties. 
Deo Gratias! 



W106 








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